Lab expansion project in Nanaimo to aid magic mushroom, psychedelics research

A Nanaimo lab site expansion project will strengthen the facility’s magic mushroom research, say company executives.

Numinus Wellness Inc. has a Health Canada licence to cultivate magic mushrooms and draw out psilocybin, one of its derivatives, for research purposes, and is expecting to add a 7,500-square-foot addition adjacent to its existing south-Nanaimo complex by the end of the year. Sharan Sidhu, company science officer and general manager, said the expansion will allow for increased capacity on its controlled drugs and substances licence.

“We do our own in-house research, but we also facilitate research, too, of other organizations,” said Sidhu. “What Numinus is trying to do is build a foundation in this nascent industry and in order for us to develop more products, in order for us to do bench-top research, prepare products for clinical trials, we need a more expanded space to be able to do that. Instead of looking at the limited number of products that we can develop at one time right now, we can then take on multiple projects all at the same time and that essentially facilitates the industry in general and allows for more products to go to clinical trials.”