Johns Hopkins’ Psychedelic Research Center launched
The Johns Hopkins’ Psychedelic Research Center is the first in the US and the largest in the world.
A group of private donors just gave Johns Hopkins Medicine $17 million to start the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, making it the first of its kind in the US and the largest of its kind in the world.
Seeing as there is no federal funding for psychedelic therapy research, the center will rely on donations to advance this emerging field of psychedelics used for therapy and wellness.
A focal point for the center is to see how psychedelics affect behaviour, brain function, learning and memory, the brain’s biology and mood.
Studies of psilocybin in patients will determine its effectiveness as a new therapy for opioid addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, (PTSD), post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, anorexia nervosa and alcohol use in people with major depression.
Other drugs researched includes LSD, MDMA, and ketamine, along with an alphabet soup of lesser-known compounds.
The researchers hope to create precision medicine treatments tailored to individual patients’ specific needs.
Straight trippin’
Although this isn’t a new field of study, the center has proper backing which is sure to lead to fresh insights and advancements.
“The most exciting is the potential that a psychedelic treatment model may have, particularly when treating clinical conditions for which we don’t have effective treatments,” says Charles Grob, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.
As donor, Alex Cohen, president, Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation says:
“We have to take braver and bolder steps if we want to help those suffering from chronic illness, addiction and mental health challenges. By investing in the Johns Hopkins center, we are investing in the hope that researchers will keep proving the benefits of psychedelics — and people will have new ways to heal.”
For more info, check out the Johns Hopkins’ Psychedelic Research Center.
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