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Dr. Leo Nissola, known internationally as a COVID advisor to U.S. media, public leaders, and biotech investors, shared preliminary results of his ongoing research on modulating the defense mechanisms of the Human Default Mode Network via Psychedelics.
Dr. Nissola’s discourse given at The House of Lords, British Parliament, London, U.K. on February 27th, 2024, focused on immunological aspects of neurological enhancements, super cognition, and longevity, particularly on naturally occurring psychedelics, such as psilocybin and the ayahuasca brew.
The former scientist of the prestigious Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy, founded by the tech mogul Sean Parker, is the Chief Scientific Officer of FirstBio, a targeted scientific research firm based in San Francisco, California, but with a global reach. It offers “unbiased targeted research and evaluation of novel biopharmaceutical assets, as well as scientific advisory.”
Dr. Nissola, recognized as an expert by outlets like NASDAQ, BBC, CBS News, and the most trusted legacy media corporations worldwide, participated as a panelist speaker focusing on neuroenhancements for increased cognition at an invite-only, exclusive conference held at the Palace of Westminster in London. “Enhancing the human body, increasing longevity, and unlocking super cognition are very much interlinked, we have come to live longer because of our increased intelligence — you can enhance neurogenesis and trigger neuroplasticity via psychedelics,” he says.
Dr. Nissola was accompanied by many world-leading experts, including Professor Yannis Pitsiladis, the medical chief of the International Olympic Committee, and a commissioner from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The event was orchestrated by entrepreneurs supporting the Enhanced Games initiative, a competition designed as an alternative to the current outdated Olympics model.
Discussions involved more than athlete’s performance, and doping. In fact, Dr. Nissola argued that it is possible to create medical technology that allows for humans to live beyond one hundred years through medical enhancements. “The opportunities and challenges for increasing cognition and longevity via the modulation of human postnatal development with medical interventions, psychedelics, and genetic engineering are real, but we need legislators and investors to try bolder approaches,” according to Dr. Nissola.
“Medical enhancements have helped humanity move from short lifespans to longer lifetimes. Transhumanism and engineered enhancements can be controversial topics in some communities, but gatekeeping medical science isn’t the way to solve this issue. We need to have more open discussions about it,” he says.
“Humanity progresses as our cognitive abilities advance. Preventing multi-system decay, halting the aging process, and empowering cells to be stronger amount to more than a simplistic two-part dynamic of receptor-binding activation. The same reasoning applies to enhancing brain power through psychedelics. Psilocybin and Ayahuasca have been safely employed for millennia in Traditional Indigenous Medicine, and there’s science behind their neuroplasticity effects, which include neurogenesis and increased neuroplasticity. Yet due to political motives, they have been relegated to obscurity. My concern is that our exploration of human enhancements, whether in the realm of genetic improvements or expanding consciousness, is being filtered through divisive political perspectives, not science. As a society, it is in our best interest to alter this approach,” Dr. Nissola says.
Biotechnology companies are racing towards the psychedelic renaissance. In fact, it is a multibillion-dollar industry. Bloomberg reported the value of the psychedelics market at $8.31 billion by 2028.
Celebrities like Prince Harry, Gisele Bundchen, and Joe Rogan have all come forward about their experiences with psychedelics. However, it’s rare for us to see a respected medical leader sharing unvarnished thoughts about psychedelics. “The controversy is unwarranted. The ubiquity of harmful additives like fentanyl in many synthetic compounds easily found in social settings has forced taxpayers from New York to bear the cost of harm reduction strategies, which is understandable. But at the same time, naturally occurring compounds that have been safely used by different civilizations for millennia, like Ayahuasca and Psilocybin, are heavily regulated. It’s illogical,” said Dr. Nissola.
Over the past couple of years, while working with Nobel Prize laureates and world-class scientists on cancer immunotherapy and COVID research, he has dedicated time to his side project: the quantitative and qualitative research on the very complex mechanisms of “Defense Mechanisms of The Human Default Mode Network via Enhanced Multi-Sensory 5-HT Activation with Psychedelics.”
Still, his research did not stop at scientific literature. More than devouring published reports on psilocybin, DMT and ayahuasca, Dr. Nissola sat down with and grilled dozens of shamans and spiritual leaders from Asia to South America, interviewing hundreds of people who have had psychedelic experiences, and participated in rituals and ceremonies where psychoactive substances such as psilocybin and ayahuasca were offered.
At the House of Lords Dr. Nissola argued that “to bypass the defense mechanisms of the human default mode network, and enhance 5-HT activation via psychedelics, a multi-pronged approach is warranted, incorporating transcranial magnetic stimulation and the use of external photobiomodulation, among many other tools.”
Dr. Nissola has the sea captain’s habit of looking for blind spots—when researching, he dissects scientific articles to ensure he is analyzing the raw data, not merely metrics. “The challenge with clinical trials that evaluate response in mental health using psychedelics is focused merely on receptor activation and a handful of questionable metrics. Metrics are important, but efficacy is what leads to positive real-world evidence results. As mundane as it might sound, researchers often pick a metric and hyperfocus on it. And that is a mistake in scientific research just as much as it is in polling. Pick a metric and let it deceive you,” he says.
On his Instagram account (@doctorleo) and on X (@LeoNissolaMD), he frequently shares opinions on medical research, covering topics ranging from artificial general intelligence to physics and health. However, he recently shared a personal story of completing an ancient pilgrimage to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Intrigued, I asked him about the highlights of this experience.
“I have hiked Zion’s Angels Landing in Utah, The Kalalau along Nā Pali Coast of the island of Kauai in the state of Hawaii and hiked the Grand Canyon twice. The Camino was a lifelong dream, and in 2022 I finally took the plunge. While walking the Camino, I aimed to shed light on life’s greatest mysteries, following in the footsteps of many before me who had done the same. It became an intense process of self-awareness. The Way of Saint James holds a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognized as an ancient pilgrimage route in Europe known as a ‘road to redemption.’ Walking in the footsteps of countless pilgrims seeking spiritual growth and enlightenment over the centuries was a profound experience. It’s a special place and, undoubtedly, the holiest place I have ever visited. The journey changed the course of my life. Pilgrimages are part of what we call Exceptional Life Experiences, which in many ways are life-changing, much like a psychedelic experience.”
You can find Dr. Leo Nissola’s book, THE IMMUNITY SOLUTION, at bookstores in the U.K. and Commonwealth, the U.S., Brazil, and China. They are available on Audible and on Amazon globally.
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