GPCRs in VR: High-throughput virtual screening against 5-HT2A receptor with scientists from PSYLO

The serotonin 2a receptor (5-HT2AR) is a part of the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) family and has become a molecular target of interest as this receptor is responsible for the intoxication that comes with the use of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin. However, in the past decade psychedelics have shown clinical efficacy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among other psychological disorders. With this being the case psychedelic drug discovery has become a thriving industry. Psychedelic drugs are built within 3 chemical scaffolds; tryptamines, lysergamides, and phenethylamines. All 3 of these scaffolds are characterized well with many papers explaining the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of derivatives within these chemical scaffolds. However, with the first-ever 5-HT2AR crystal structure being published with LSD, (Kim et al 2020 Cell) novel methods of drug discovery can be utilized. One such method is high-throughput virtual ligand screening (HTVS). In this study, we used HTVS to screen 100 million compounds from the zinc database (Sterling 2015 et al J Chem Inf Model). We ended up with 1200 promising compounds and are doing further work to narrow down this list in discovering new psychedelics that can be used to treat debilitating psychological disorders.  Psylo is Australia’s first psychedelics biotech. Psylo is designing the next generation of medicines to treat mental illness. Nanome is the leader in collaborative structure-based design through virtual reality. Explore the nanoscale like never before and experience a more intuitive way to interact with small molecules and/or protein structures through the latest in visualization technology. Nanome enables global real-time collaboration and we’re working closely with some of the top pharmaceutical research facilities and academic research institutions. Visit to download Nanome for your XR device! Get started today by downloading Nanome for free on: Oculus Rift/Rift S/Quest Link: SteamVR: Viveport App Lab: SideQuest: To learn more visit: or, follow us on: Twitter & Insta: @nanome_inc Be sure to also check out our blockchain platform, Matryx, which will serve as the backend IP tracking mechanism for Nanome. More info at