Geoffrey Woo

In recent times, advances in the field of metabolomics have shed greater light on the role of metabolic disturbances in neuropsychiatric conditions. The following review explores the role of ketone bodies and ketosis in both the diagnosis and treatment of three major psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Distinction is made between the potential therapeutic effects of the ketogenic diet and exogenous ketone preparations, as exogenous ketones in… Show more

In recent times, advances in the field of metabolomics have shed greater light on the role of metabolic disturbances in neuropsychiatric conditions. The following review explores the role of ketone bodies and ketosis in both the diagnosis and treatment of three major psychiatric disorders: major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Distinction is made between the potential therapeutic effects of the ketogenic diet and exogenous ketone preparations, as exogenous ketones in particular offer a standardized, reproducible manner for inducing ketosis. Compelling associations between symptoms of mental distress and dysregulation in central nervous system ketone metabolism have been demonstrated in preclinical studies with putative neuroprotective effects of ketone bodies being elucidated, including effects on inflammasomes and the promotion of neurogenesis in the central nervous system. Despite emerging pre-clinical data, clinical research on ketone body effectiveness as a treatment option for psychiatric disorders remains lacking. This gap in understanding warrants further investigating, especially considering that safe and acceptable ways of inducing ketosis are readily available. Show less

This review explores the association between traumatic brain injury and contusion-related dementia, assessing metabolic parallels and highlighting the potential role of exogenous ketone and lactate therapies.

Ketogenic diet has been introduced in therapeutic areas for more than a century, but the role of ketones in exercise performance has only been explored in the past decade. One of the main reasons that allows the investigation of the role of ketones in exercise performance is the emergence of exogenous ketones, allowing athletes to achieve the state of ketosis acutely, and independent of their metabolic states. While there are mixed results showing either exogenous ketones improve exercise… Show more

Ketogenic diet has been introduced in therapeutic areas for more than a century, but the role of ketones in exercise performance has only been explored in the past decade. One of the main reasons that allows the investigation of the role of ketones in exercise performance is the emergence of exogenous ketones, allowing athletes to achieve the state of ketosis acutely, and independent of their metabolic states. While there are mixed results showing either exogenous ketones improve exercise performance or no effect, the mechanisms of action are still being heavily researched. Moreover, these early data from exercise physiology studies suggested that exogenous ketones may play a more prominent role in post-exercise recovery, leading to a more pronounced cumulative impact over subsequent exercise performance. This review will look at existing evidence on the role of ketones in recovery and attempt to identify the current best practices and potential mechanisms that drive improved recovery. Show less

Many nootropic compounds claim to have positive effects on cognitive performance. In this study, we tested the effects of the nootropic compound CAF+ on cognitive functioning. CAF+ contains a combination of ingredients that has separately shown to boost cognitive performance, including caffeine, l-theanine, vinpocetine, l-tyrosine, and vitamin B6/B12. We examined whether CAF+ would improve cognitive functions in healthy young participants, and whether it would be more effective than caffeine… Show more

Many nootropic compounds claim to have positive effects on cognitive performance. In this study, we tested the effects of the nootropic compound CAF+ on cognitive functioning. CAF+ contains a combination of ingredients that has separately shown to boost cognitive performance, including caffeine, l-theanine, vinpocetine, l-tyrosine, and vitamin B6/B12. We examined whether CAF+ would improve cognitive functions in healthy young participants, and whether it would be more effective than caffeine. We used a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled three-way cross-over design to examine the performance of 21 healthy young participants on a test battery aimed to measure memory performance, attention, and sensorimotor speed. Our main outcome measure was participant’s performance on the Verbal Learning Test (VLT). Subjective alertness, heart rate, and blood pressure were also monitored. Participants were tested at 30 and 90 min after treatment. We found that after 90 min, the delayed recall performance on the VLT after caffeine was better than after CAF+ treatment. Further, caffeine, but not CAF+, improved the performance in a working memory task. In a complex choice reaction task caffeine improved the speed of responding. Subjective alertness was increased as a result of CAF+ at 30 min after administration. Only caffeine increased diastolic blood pressure. We conclude that in healthy young students, caffeine improves memory performance and sensorimotor speed, whereas CAF+ does not affect the cognitive performance at the dose tested. Show less

Silicon Valley efforts in the biology and health domains have recently seen increased public interest because of the questions around the legitimacy of Theranos’ technology and medical claims and the recent FDA approvals for a number of 23andMe’s genetic screens.

These data points are just two of the most visible examples of a broad ecosystem of companies and startups in Silicon Valley working on biological problems. This early “biohacking” ecosystem has a number of parallels with the… Show more

Silicon Valley efforts in the biology and health domains have recently seen increased public interest because of the questions around the legitimacy of Theranos’ technology and medical claims and the recent FDA approvals for a number of 23andMe’s genetic screens.

These data points are just two of the most visible examples of a broad ecosystem of companies and startups in Silicon Valley working on biological problems. This early “biohacking” ecosystem has a number of parallels with the personal computer (PC) ecosystem in the 1970s and 1980s. Show less

Nootropics, smart drugs and other biohacks are now drawing mainstream scrutiny and controversy as more and more people are using legal, off-label, and unscheduled “research chemicals” as nootropics to enhance their academic or work performance.

The controversy stems from the fact that many nootropics currently sit in a regulatory void, skirting around the edges of powerful lobbyist and interest groups. While daunting for startups at first glance, operating within regulatory haze among… Show more

Nootropics, smart drugs and other biohacks are now drawing mainstream scrutiny and controversy as more and more people are using legal, off-label, and unscheduled “research chemicals” as nootropics to enhance their academic or work performance.

The controversy stems from the fact that many nootropics currently sit in a regulatory void, skirting around the edges of powerful lobbyist and interest groups. While daunting for startups at first glance, operating within regulatory haze among powerful entrenched interests is really just par for the course in Silicon Valley.

For example, Uber is currently warring with dozens of taxi and transportation commissions across the globe; Zenefits had to face shutdown threats in Utah; and 23andMe recently earned FDA authorization for performing genetic tests for Bloom Syndrome after several years of being outright prohibited from offering genetic health analysis.

The nootropics and biohacking industries together with regulators need to build a framework that fully legitimizes the field and allows end users to safely utilize enhancement products. Show less

Biohacking and transhumanist advances (including nootropics, extended longevity, cybernetic implants, better behavioral and genetic self-understanding) will materially advance our quality of life and productivity in the coming decade, but we need to be thoughtful about the potential social and ethical pitfalls as we transform. Google Trends shows a marked uptick in searches for “nootropics” and related biohacking fields, so now is the time to have the conversation about the direction we’re… Show more

Biohacking and transhumanist advances (including nootropics, extended longevity, cybernetic implants, better behavioral and genetic self-understanding) will materially advance our quality of life and productivity in the coming decade, but we need to be thoughtful about the potential social and ethical pitfalls as we transform. Google Trends shows a marked uptick in searches for “nootropics” and related biohacking fields, so now is the time to have the conversation about the direction we’re headed. Show less

A lot of startup founders today are launching companies fresh out of college (if not earlier). That’s what I did a little more than three years ago when I launched Glassmap, a mobile, location-based social network. I subsequently saw the full lifecycle of incorporating, going through Y Combinator and raising some capital, launching product, and eventually negotiating the sale of my company.

Nootropics, more colloquially known as “smart drugs,” are in the zeitgeist. Hollywood productions like Limitless and Lucy to a CNN profile of a quirky tech millionaire spending $300,000 to hack his own body with research chemicals have certainly raised the profile of nootropics in the mainstream.

Software services and applications are becoming increasingly intertwined with users’ lives. And this connection is leading to increasing concerns about privacy. We have already seen service-to-user dissonance with the recent privacy controversies at Google, Apple and Path. As the co-founders of Glassmap, a real-time location sharing service, we have first hand experience with trying to resolve this dissonance.