Tag Archives: pharmacology

Physiology

WVU Today | EXPERT PITCH: WVU toxicologist calls passage of burn pit bill ‘critical step in improving veteran health’ – WVU Today

Timothy Nurkiewicz, chair of the WVU Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, conducts research in WVUs Inhalation Facility. Nurkiewicz can discuss burn pits, why they pose serious health risks and how theyve made veterans ill. (WVU Photo)

A West Virginia University researcher with expertise in air pollution and inhalation exposures is available to discuss burn pits following this weeks U.S. Senate passage of a bill expanding health care benefits for veterans who developed illnesses after being exposed to such pits.

At WVUs Inhalation Facility, Timothy Nurkiewicz, chair of the School of Medicines Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, and his research team are safely recreating burn pit conditions to examine why they pose such health risks and how theyve made veterans sick.

Quotes:

On the contents of burn pits

A military base isnt like a campsite. In camping, what you pack in, you pack out, right? Well, the military has to prevent the enemy from benefiting from their presence. So, they destroy everything they have. In concept, that makes perfect sense, but in practice, its a horrible thing because youre throwing in everything from standard garbage paper, plastic, fabric, food to paint, oil, batteries, computers and unspent ordnance. And I havent even mentioned the medical waste as well as standard human waste. All of that goes into burn pits, too. Jet fuel was widely used as the main accelerant and the collective process burns at a lower temperature than incinerators. The result is incomplete combustion and tremendous emission production.

On the prevalence of burn pit exposure

If you were deployed in the Middle East, you were probably exposed to the emissions from a burn pit. Every base was a different size, had different operations and burned different things, so everybody was exposed to different toxicants in different combinations. If you jump forward, now you have veterans who are ending their deployments and theyre coming back in large numbers and presenting with some very serious health issues.

On the passage of this bill

The passage of this bill is a critical step in improving veteran health. It comes at a time when a significant number of veterans are ending their deployments and returning home. We have a large population of exposed veterans who can be identified and proactively treated. The challenges in diagnosing CMI (chronic multisymptom illness) associated with burn pit exposures have made it difficult to allocate resources for the illness. This, in turn, leads to the symptoms being treated,but not the root cause. Identifying the mechanisms of toxicity that result from burn pit exposures will lead to more effective treatment, so, thats the greater goal of our research, to provide a more exact diagnosis that is irrefutable from a clinical perspective.

West Virginia University experts can provide commentary, insights and opinions on various news topics. Search for an expert by name, title, areas of expertise or college/school/department in the Experts Databaseat WVU Today.

-WVU-

se/08/04/22

MEDIA CONTACT: Cassie ThomasDirector, Communications and MarketingWVU School of Medicine304-293-3412; cassie.thomas@hsc.wvu.edu

OR

Jessica WilmothSenior Communications SpecialistWVU Health Sciences304-293-9528; jessica.wilmoth@hsc.wvu.edu

Call 1-855-WVU-NEWS for the latest West Virginia University news and information from WVUToday.

FOLLOW @WVUToday on Twitter.

Read more from the original source:
WVU Today | EXPERT PITCH: WVU toxicologist calls passage of burn pit bill 'critical step in improving veteran health' - WVU Today

Biochemistry

Senior Lecturer or Associate Professor in Biochemistry and Pharmacology job with UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE | 295930 – Times Higher Education

Location: ParkvilleRole type: Full time /ContinuingFaculty: Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health SciencesDepartment/School:Department of Biochemistry and PharmacologySalary: Level C ($135, 032 - $155,698) OR Level D ($162,590 - $179,123) p.a. plus 17% super

Founded in 1853, the University of Melbourne is Australias #1 university and is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

About theDepartment of Biochemistry and Pharmacology

The Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology is committed to developing the careers and wellbeing of our students and staff, fostering a culture that supports us all to do our best work. We are guided by our values in our pursuit of excellence.The Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology has critical mass, interdisciplinary teaching and a remarkable breadth and depth in research expertise that underpin our key themes of molecular understanding of biology and disease, translational research, drug discovery and development. Our researchers are strongly committed to high-impact discovery research and in translating breakthroughs to societal outcomes when the opportunity arises.

The Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology is strongly committed to supporting diversity and the representation of women. In line with the special measure H103/2014 provided for under section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (VIC), the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology strongly encourages applications from suitably qualified female candidates. We intend that at least one of the two appointees will be a female.

About the Role

We have two positions available as a Senior Lecturer or Associate Professor, who will develop and maintain a high-level research program in a field of pharmacology that is complementary to existing areas of research strength in the Department. You will be encouraged to contribute to interdisciplinary research within the School of Biomedical Science and Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences and the wider academic community. You will also join a successful team in delivering and supporting teaching and learning in pharmacology and therapeutics within the Department and the broader School of Biomedical Sciences.

In a typical week at work, you may:

About You

You are a confident communicatorwith a demonstratable proactive reflective teaching practice. Your highly-developed interpersonal skills allow you to work collaboratively with internal and external colleagues, and you are passionate about mentoring and guiding junior research staff in their academic trajectory.

Ideally, you will further have:

Benefits of Working with Us

In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

To find out more, please visithttps://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/staff-benefits.

Be Yourself

At UoM, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community, and we encourage and celebrate diversity. Indigenous Australians, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages, with disabilities or culturally diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for our roles. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please submit your application including a brief cover letter, your resume and your responses against the selection criteria^ (found in the Position Description) for the role.

^For information to help you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria and competencies, please go tohttp://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria

Should you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team athr-talent@unimelb.edu.au.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently prioritising applications with current valid working rights in Australia and candidates who are not affected by travel restrictions. Please see the latest updates to Australia's immigration and border arrangements: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/

The University of Melbourne is required to comply with applicable health guidance and directions issued from the Victoria Health Minister. The University of Melbourne requires all University of Melbourne employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless an exemption order applies. All applicants therefore must meet this requirement when submitting an application.

Position description:Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor PD.docx

Applications close:30 JUNE 2022 11:55 PMAUS Eastern Standard Time

Follow this link:
Senior Lecturer or Associate Professor in Biochemistry and Pharmacology job with UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE | 295930 - Times Higher Education

Biochemistry

Research Fellow, Cancer Biology and Biochemistry job with UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE | 296107 – Times Higher Education

Location: ParkvilleRole type: Full time/Fixed-termfor 12 monthsFaculty: School of Biomedical SciencesDepartment/School: Department of Biochemistry and PharmacologySalary: Level A $77,171 - $104,717 (pro rata for part-time) p.a. plus 17% super

Founded in 1853, the University of Melbourne is Australias #1 university and is consistently ranked amongst the leading universities in the world. We are proud of our people, our commitment to research and teaching excellence, and our global engagement.

About theDepartment of Biochemistry and Pharmacology

The Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology has critical mass, interdisciplinary teaching and a remarkable breadth and depth in research expertise that underpin our key themes of molecular understanding of biology and disease, translational research, drug discovery and development.

It is envisaged to consolidate the research activities of the new Department. With respect to teaching, the departments offerings are complementary, and we are looking forward to developing new courses across our joint areas of expertise.

About the Role

A highly motivated early career researcher is sought to join the Department of Biochemistry & Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences in the University of Melbourne. The successful applicant will drive the in vivo projects taking place in the lab, thus extensive experience with small animal handling and animal models of disease (preferably cancer) is essential.

In a typical week at work, you may:

About You

You are a confident communicator with an ability to be proactive and to use initiative to solve problems quickly and efficiently. Your highly developed organisational skills and record keeping capabilitieswill enable you toprioritise a range of tasks, manage time effectively and meet deadlines in a busy environment.

Ideally, you will further have:

Benefits of Working with Us

In addition to having the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to be part of a vibrant campus life, our people enjoy a range of rewarding benefits:

To find out more, please visithttps://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/staff-benefits.

Be Yourself

At UoM, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and contributions that each person brings to our community, and we encourage and celebrate diversity. Indigenous Australians, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, females, people of all ages, with disabilities or culturally diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply for our roles. Our aim is to create a workforce that reflects the community in which we live.

Join Us!

If you feel this role is right for you, please submit your application including a brief cover letter, your resume and your responses against the selection criteria^ (found in the Position Description) for the role.

^For information to help you with compiling short statements to answer the selection criteria and competencies, please go tohttp://about.unimelb.edu.au/careers/selection-criteria

Should you require any reasonable adjustments with the recruitment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team athr-talent@unimelb.edu.au.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently prioritising applications with current valid working rights in Australia and candidates who are not affected by travel restrictions. Please see the latest updates to Australia's immigration and border arrangements: https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/

The University of Melbourne is required to comply with applicable health guidance and directions issued from the Victoria Health Minister. The University of Melbourne requires all University of Melbourne employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, unless an exemption order applies. All applicants therefore must meet this requirement when submitting an application.

Position description:Research Fellow (Cancer Biology and Biochemistry) PD.doc

Applications close:1 JULY 2022 11:55 PMAUS Eastern Standard Time

View original post here:
Research Fellow, Cancer Biology and Biochemistry job with UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE | 296107 - Times Higher Education

Biochemistry

New cancer treatments can be tested in artificial cells on tiny chips the size of a postage stamp – The Conversation CA

It usually takes 10 to 15 years to develop a new drug, and they cost around US$2.6 billion each. Because its difficult to predict how a drug candidate will interact with human cells, many drugs never pass clinical trials. Testing new drugs on human cells is expensive and complicated, so it is difficult to do early in the development of a drug.

To help solve this problem, my research group has built designer artificial cells on a chip the size of a postage stamp. These artificial cells mimic how cells degrade during cancer. This makes it possible to test new drugs early in drug discovery (the process of drug development), and see whether theyre likely to work.

Our artificial cells are designed to give us early insight into how new cancer drugs behave in cells, and why certain kinds of cancer are more resistant to chemotherapy treatment.

My research group at the University of Victoria builds artificial cells and tissues for drug discovery using microfluidic chips. Elanna Stephenson, one of my graduate students, performed the cancer cell research that this story is based on. We work at the interface of engineering, biochemistry and pharmacology, and as a result, our research is very interdisciplinary.

Cells are complex and made up of many different components. Even the cell membrane (the skin of the cell) is composed of many different types of molecules.

Given this complexity, it is difficult to reverse-engineer a cell from the top down to examine each type of molecule and its effect. Instead, our research aims to build artificial cells from the bottom up, to determine in isolation how each kind of molecule that makes up the cell membrane affects the ability of drugs to enter the cell.

We manipulate fluids on much smaller scales than in traditional laboratories using microfluidic devices called chips. Manipulation of fluids at these small scales generally measured in micrometres (one thousandth of a millimetre) is referred to as microfluidics.

Our microfluidic chips are made of a transparent polymer in which we imprint pipes. These pipes are the size of a human hair (100 micrometres, or one tenth of a millimetre), and in many ways are like miniaturizing a chemical manufacturing plant.

Read more: Microfluidics: The tiny, beautiful tech hidden all around you

In our microfluidic chip we create tiny droplets of water that are around the size of human cells, a process called droplet microfluidics. We design our chips so that we may manipulate and analyze each droplet independently. This is the engineering side of our research.

We cover the droplets with molecules that are similar to those found in the cell membrane of human cells to create artificial cells known as droplet interface bilayers (DIBs). Although these types of artificial cells have been around for over a decade, this is the first time theyve been used to mimic the breakdown in the composition of cell membranes that occurs during cancer.

This allowed us to reveal new insights into the behaviour of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin when it is being absorbed by cells. This is the biochemistry side of our research.

Cell membranes are composed of two layers of molecules called phospholipids. Generally, these layers are not the same, which is called membrane asymmetry.

Cancer causes this membrane asymmetry to degrade, and the two layers become much more similar in terms of their composition. We were able to model this breakdown of the membrane using our artificial cells. We tested how well doxorubicin was able to enter these artificial cells when they were asymmetric, and when they were symmetric.

We found that the degree of asymmetry of the artificial cells affects how fast doxorubicin enters the artificial cell. This highlights another possible reason why drugs stop working effectively (chemoresistance) against some forms of cancer. This is the pharmacology side of our research.

Our research demonstrates the importance of closely replicating both the composition and the structural features of cell membranes when studying a new drug.

The current approach to research for drug development means that we dont understand how drugs will behave in the human body until far too late in the drug discovery process. This is costly in terms of the money and time required for drug development, and ultimately may postpone potentially life-saving treatments for patients.

Our artificial cells could be a new method to accurately predict drug behaviour in the human body very early in the drug discovery process.

More here:
New cancer treatments can be tested in artificial cells on tiny chips the size of a postage stamp - The Conversation CA

Physiology

Cassidy Announces Nearly $5 Million for LSU Health Shreveport, LSU and A&M College Baton Rouge – Bossier Press-Tribune Online

WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) today announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding $4,617,645 to Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Shreveport and LSU and Agricultural and Mechanical (LSU and A&M) College Baton Rouge under the pharmacology, physiology, and biological chemistry research program.

These federal dollars support cutting-edge research in Louisiana to improve the health of all Americans, said Dr. Cassidy. Im proud to announce more than $4.5 million to both LSU Health Shreveport and LSU and A&M College Baton Rouge to advance their research efforts.

Funding for pharmacology, physiology, biological chemistry research was awarded in the following amounts:

$2,150,395 to LSU Health Shreveport for the Center for Applied Immunology and Pathological Processes$2,467,250 to LSU and A&M College Baton Rouge for the Center for Pre-Clinical Cancer ResearchBackground

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) a medical research agency of the National Institute of Health which is a component of HHS supports basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. NIGMS-funded scientists investigate how living systems work at a range of levels from molecules and cells to tissues and organs, in research organisms, humans, and populations.

Read the original:
Cassidy Announces Nearly $5 Million for LSU Health Shreveport, LSU and A&M College Baton Rouge - Bossier Press-Tribune Online

Physiology

Insecticide on flowers can stop bees and flies from getting sleep – THE WEEK

Pesticides used on plant can make flies, like bees, mad without sleep, say researchers who studed the impact of common pesticides on the insect brain.

Just like us, many insects need a decent night's sleep to function properly, but this might not be possible if they have been exposed to neonicotinoid insecticides, the most common form of insecticide used worldwide, suggests research by academics at the University of Bristol.

Two studies by scientists at Bristol's Schools of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience and Biological Sciences have shown these insecticides affect the amount of sleep taken by both bumblebees and fruit flies, which may help us understand why insect pollinators are vanishing from the wild.

Dr Kiah Tasman, Teaching Associate in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience and lead author of the studies, said: "The neonicotinoids we tested had a big effect on the amount of sleep taken by both flies and bees. If an insect was exposed to a similar amount as it might experience on a farm where the pesticide had been applied, it slept less, and its daily behavioural rhythms were knocked out of synch with the normal 24-hour cycle of day and night."

The fruit fly study has been published in Scientific Reports.

As well as finding that typical agricultural concentrations of neonicotinoids ruined the flies' ability to remember, the researchers also saw changes in the clock in the fly brain which controls its 24-hour cycle of day and night.

"Being able to tell time is important for knowing when to be awake and forage, and it looked like these drugged insects were unable to sleep. We know quality sleep is important for insects, just as it is for humans, for their health and forming lasting memories," said Dr James Hodge, Associate Professor in Neuroscience in the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience and senior author for the study.

"Bees and flies have similar structures in their brains, and this suggests one reason why these drugs are so bad for bees is they stop the bees from sleeping properly and then being able to learn where food is in their environment, explained Dr Sean Rands, Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences and co-author.

"Neonicotinoids are currently banned in the EU, and we hope that this continues in the UK as we leave EU legislation."

Original post:
Insecticide on flowers can stop bees and flies from getting sleep - THE WEEK

Physiology

UH Hilo students win national STEM research awards | University of Hawaii System News – UH System Current News

Two University of Hawaii at Hilo students received awards for their research at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), a national conference held online November 913. ABRCMS is one of the largest professional conferences for underrepresented students. The four-day conference included more than 2,000 virtual poster and oral presentations given by undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students.

Kailee Yoshimura won her award in the category of Physiology and Pharmacology of an Undergraduate for her research project, Development of Quercetin Containing Polymeric Nanoparticles for Oral Delivery.

Fellow student Michelle Biete received her award in the category of Computational and Systems Biology of an Undergraduate Junior for her presentation on her presentation, A Pragmatic Approach to Standardizing Ultrastructure Morphology in Tissue and Cell Culture.

A total of seven UH Hilo Students of Hawaii Advanced Research Program (SHARP) students, including Yoshimura and Biete, were selected to present their research in biomedical or biobehavioral science as first authors. The other student presenters were:

Read more at UH Hilo Stories.

Continue reading here:
UH Hilo students win national STEM research awards | University of Hawaii System News - UH System Current News

Physiology

November: Highly cited 2020 | News and features – University of Bristol

The Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list recognises 17 University of Bristol researchers reaching the highest sphere of influence in research.

The citation analysis, now in its seventh year, identifies those who have published a high number of papers that rank in the top one per cent most cited works in their field. This year,6,389 researchers are named in theHighly Cited List.

The 17 researchers on the list (whose primary affiliation is with Bristol) this year are:Professor Jerry Nolan, Bristol Medical SchoolDr Jane Ferrie, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor David Gunnell, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor Matthew Hickman, Bristol Medical SchoolDr Jo House, School of Geographical SciencesProfessor Marcus Munafo, School of Psychological ScienceProfessor Kate Tilling, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor Jonathan Bamber, School of Geographical SciencesProfessor Jules Hancox, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and NeuroscienceProfessor Eamonn Kelly, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and NeuroscienceDr Stephen Lolait, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor Neil Marrion, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and NeuroscienceProfessor Craig McArdle, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor Philip Donoghue, School of Earth SciencesProfessor Julian Higgins, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor Deborah Lawlor, Bristol Medical SchoolProfessor Jonathan Sterne, Bristol Medical School

Placement on the list, which is based on qualitative and quantitative data from the Web of Science, is a significant achievement for those named.

Web of Science is the worlds most trusted and largest publisher-neutral citation index, powering global discovery and citation analytics across the sciences, social sciences and the arts and humanities. With over 1.4 billion cited references going back to 1900 and millions of users per day from leading government and academic institutions and research-intensive corporations the Web of Science citation network serves as the foundation for the Journal Impact Factor, InCites and other powerful and trusted citation-impact measures. The Web of Science helps researchers, research institutions, publishers and funders discover and assess the citation impact of over a century of research publications found in the most prestigious books, conference proceedings and journals.

Go here to see the original:
November: Highly cited 2020 | News and features - University of Bristol

Neuroscience

Hormone Linked to Pain Difference Between Men and Women – Technology Networks

Imagine taking a pill to control your pain and, instead, the medication actually increases the pain you feel. That may be the situation for patients who take opioids, but even more so for women, according to groundbreaking research by investigators at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson in the Department of Pharmacology.The researchers identified a mechanism that explains why women may be more vulnerable than men to develop pain in general, as well as to develop pain from opioids specifically.

The cause is a neurohormone, prolactin, known largely for promoting lactation in expectant mothers in their final months of pregnancy and after childbirth.

Frank Porreca, PhD, associate department head, a professor of Pharmacology, anesthesiology, cancer biology and neuroscience at the college, and senior author on the study, notes it always has been understood that women experience some types of pain that occur without injury (known as functional pain syndromes) more than men. The reasons for this never were clearly understood. A possible explanation the researchers explored was the differences in the cells and nerves that send pain signals to the brain in women and men.

Now, their paper pinpoints these sex differences to the prolactin receptor, which regulates sensitization of nociceptors neurofibers that conduct pain impulses and pain from opioids (opioid-induced hyperalgesia) selectively in female laboratory mice. The second point is important, Dr. Porreca explains, because they found opioids also produce a release of prolactin in women that in turn increases pain instead of lessening it.

The findings suggest new pain-management therapies targeting the prolactin system would greatly benefit women suffering from functional pain syndromes.

Of all these female-prevalent pain disorders, migraines are among the most common, with about 35 million migraine patients in the United States, and three out of four of those are women. In addition, in fibromyalgia patients, as many as nine out of 10 are women; for irritable bowel syndrome, three out of four are women. When you add up all those women with pain if you can normalize that this would provide a huge and important impact on medical care, Dr. Porreca says.

In that context, he adds, being female can be considered a risk factor for increased pain. Now, they know one important reason why. Nobody's ever understood this until now, Dr. Porreca says.

He points out many of these pain spells are intermittent and associated with triggering events. For instance, he and his colleagues found stress releases prolactin and unexpectedly promotes pain selectively in females.

These triggering events can be wide-ranging. They can include things like alcohol, fatigue and sleep disruption. But stress is the most common trigger self-identified by patients. That's where we started our studies how does stress contribute to female-specific pain or female-selective pain?

Primary authors on the paper include: Yanxia Chen, a graduate student in Dr. Porrecas lab; Aubin Moutal, PhD, a research assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology, working in the lab of Rajesh Khanna, PhD, a UArizona professor of anesthesiology, pharmacology and neuroscience, who also is a co-author on the paper; and Edita Navratilova, PhD, an assistant professor of pharmacology.

Dr. Navratilova says dopamine D-2 receptor agonist drugs that limit prolactin release, such as cabergoline, commonly are used for other diseases, and are not addictive. These drugs, possibly in conjunction with other classes of medications, may help treat those pain conditions in women more effectively without the addictive properties of opioids.

If we could just reduce the proportion of women who have migraines to the same amount as in men, that would be quite revolutionary, Dr. Navratilova says.

In addition, since publication of their findings, Dr. Porreca has been contacted by companies interested in investigating whether an antibody previously associated with breast cancer treatment might be able to be engineered as a therapy to guard against pain in women.ReferenceChen et al. (2020) The prolactin receptor long isoform regulates nociceptor sensitization and opioid-induced hyperalgesia selectively in females. Science Translational Medicine. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.aay7550

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

The rest is here:
Hormone Linked to Pain Difference Between Men and Women - Technology Networks

Neuroscience

Eleusis Announces Published Preclinical Research Revealing Long Lasting Antidepressant-Like Effects of Psychedelics When Compared to Ketamine in…

LONDON & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eleusis, a clinical stage life science company established to develop the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, today announced the publication of its sponsored preclinical research in the American Chemical Societys journal Chemical Neuroscience, which suggests that psychedelics may have more persistent antidepressant therapeutic efficacy than ketamine. The study also indicates that the antidepressant effect of psychedelics are both biological and context-dependent, and the subjective existential experience or mystical experience often associated with psychedelics may be correlated with, but not cause, the persisting antidepressant effect.

The publication, titled Psychedelics, but not ketamine, produce persistent antidepressant-like effects in a rodent experimental system for the study of depression is the first direct preclinical comparison of the antidepressant efficacy of psychedelics and ketamine. The research reveals that both psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) significantly reduce depressive-like behaviors five weeks after a single administration, while only the lowest dose of ketamine evaluated (5.0 mg/kg) was efficacious in decreasing depressive-like behaviors, and that the associated antidepressant-like effects of a single treatment with ketamine were transient compared to those observed in the psilocybin and LSD-treated rats and lasted less than two weeks.

The environment research animals were exposed to in the days immediately following treatment with psilocybin shaped the nature of the antidepressant-like and anti-anxiety outcomes, suggesting that contextual experiences following drug treatment were important factors in determining overall responses. The research suggests this may be due to enhanced learning of new coping behaviors as a result of psilocybin or LSD administration, an effect not observed in animals treated only with ketamine, or saline.

Our research is the first direct comparison of the degree and duration of antidepressant-like effects of psychedelics and ketamine in animals, and the first to demonstrate that what the animal experiences the first week after drug administration influences its long-term behavioral outcome. We believe these results further support the promising research and development of psychedelics as therapeutic medicines. said Meghan Hibicke Ph.D., the studys lead author and Postdoctoral Researcher at LSU Health Sciences Center, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Prior to our study, the scientific premise of whether or not a profound subjective existential experience is necessary for psilocybin to have antidepressant effects had not been evaluated either clinically, or preclinically, said Charles Nichols Ph.D., the director of the study and Professor of Pharmacology at Louisiana State University. Based on our findings, we believe that the robust antidepressant effects of psychedelics are intrinsically linked to a biological response, which may be correlated with, but not dependent on, the profound subjective experiences associated with psychedelics.

These intriguing findings suggest that continued research will yield new understandings of the basic mechanisms giving rise to the robust and enduring effects of psychedelics, said Shlomi Raz, Chairman and founder of Eleusis. "These study results, and other ongoing research directed by Eleusis, further confirm the vast therapeutic potential of psychedelics, and are serving to accelerate our companys ongoing efforts to transform psychedelics into medicines.

About Eleusis Ltd.

Eleusis is a privately-held, clinical stage life science company, established to unlock the transformative potential of psychoactive drugs, through the mitigation and management of psychoactivity. The company is developing an innovative platform of drug discovery and care delivery solutions to enable the transformation of groundbreaking university research into urgently needed therapeutic alternatives across a broad spectrum of inflammatory disease and mental health needs.

Follow Eleusis on LinkedIn and Twitter

Read more:
Eleusis Announces Published Preclinical Research Revealing Long Lasting Antidepressant-Like Effects of Psychedelics When Compared to Ketamine in...