Episode 22: Kaitlin Roberson - Women in Biotechnology | Innovative Drug Discovery | Phenethylamines for Nociplastic Pain Treatment | Cacti Therapeutics

Curious to Serious

In this episode, we talk with Kaitlin Robertson.
She is the CEO of Cacti Therapeutics, a biotech company developing FDA-approved psychedelic therapies for chronic pain and sexual dysfunction.
Kaitlin received her Master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and has professional experience in trauma care and business finance.
We discuss Kaitlin's passion for helping people experience growth and transformation through the adversity of spiritual, sexual, or attachment traumas.
Time Stamps:
(2:10) What is Cacti Therapeutics (drug discovery, treating pain, Blackbox, the traditional preclinical drug candidate process, and *fundraising*)
(19:00) Kaitlin Seamore Roberson and her network (how she met her co-founders at Harvard, the intellectual capital of your community, and what her current CEO position at Cacti entails)
(29:00) Being a woman in a position of power within the biotech community and how her networking and communication skills have prepared her for this role. Kaitlin’s advice: take the leap, apply for the job, volunteer at the lab, raise your hand at the conference, and always self-advocate.
(32:00) (brief technical difficulty) finishing 27:00 timestamp topic and moving onto innovation. How do drug discovery biotechs like Cacti influence the broader psychedelic/biotech space? Can taking 2nd and 3rd generation psychedelic compounds to clinical trials and medicalization destigmatize the landscape for plant-based or 1st generation psychedelics? What possible impacts on equity, accessibility, and education do novel compounds have on the fundamental use and medical value of psychedelic medicine in western medical systems?
(43:00) What limiting factors or obstacles are not addressed by introducing novel compounds into the psychedelic network? We discuss 1) the time needed for western indoctrination of psychedelic medicine, 2) the shortage of policy and providers for patient care, and 3) support systems for physiological and psychological manifestations of psychiatric ailment.
(51:00) Kaitlin advises those entering the psychedelic space or any new field: set goals and shoot for the moon. We also discuss her learning experience with podcasts, conversations, and courses (like Psychedelic Today’s VITAL program)
(53:00) Contact information and closing messages
Links:
Cacti’s website: www.cactitherapeutics.com
**For access to Cacti’s executive summary, please email Emma at [e-mail] **
Kaitlin's email: [e-mail]
Kaitlin’s Instagram: @KaitlinRoberson
Kaitlin’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kaitlinroberson/
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Music by: https://www.alexkahnmusic.com/
Presented by Psychedelic Grad.