4.3 million EUR to research on psychedelic therapy
“To responsibly realize the huge potential in psychedelic therapy, we will now with financial support from EU shoulder a generation of future experts in our field,” states Ulf Bremberg, visiting researcher at Uppsala University that, together with Maria Lindskog, Filipa Sampaio and Inna Feldman will supervise two of 16 PhD projects in INTEGRATE, a new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network with focus on psychedelic drugs.
Clinical treatment with psychedelic substances is a field moving fast forward, and now EU's key funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, is investing 4.3 million EUR in INTEGRATE, an interdisciplinary doctoral network that, within the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, is preparing the recruitment of 16 PhD students for assignments in nine European countries.
“To responsibly realize the huge potential in psychedelic therapy requires a solid scientific foundation, and with the financial support of EU, we can now shoulder a generation of future experts with the abilities to both see the big picture and delve deep into their own specialist area,” says Ulf Bremberg, visiting researcher at Uppsala University’s Department of Medicinal Chemistry, one of the initiators of INTEGRATE and co-author of the application.
Maria Lindskog in the lab with Masters student Dunya Alzanbour
Two of the PhD projects will be carried out at Uppsala University’s Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy: With a Health Economics perspective, Filipa Sampaio and Inna Feldman will supervise a work to gather and analyze data from clinical trials before applying the results in an upcoming study. At the research environment Collaboration of Plasticity Mechanisms, Maria Lindskog will, with Ulf Bremberg as co-supervisor, lead the development of a translational model for studies of how the brain responds to psychedelics.
“We must continuously map the mechanistic effects of potential psychedelic drugs on cells and tissues. To do this type of study on humans requires huge resources, but with a validated model that enables us to conduct the study in animals and then apply the results as a foundation for what can be expected to happen in humans, we will we significantly shorten the path to treatment,” states Ulf Bremberg.
In 2024, the EU allocated 6.5 million EUR to a clinical study highlighting the psychedelic substance psilocybin, which has in combination with psychotherapy shown both strong and long-lasting effect effect when treating depression in connection with chronic and advanced illness.
“In an American study at Johns Hopkins University, more than half of the participants stayed free of depression one year after receiving two doses of psilocybin combined with therapy. We have now received approval to start European trials in Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Recruitment is currently underway and we hope to present our results and conclusions already in 2027,” says Ulf Bremberg.
See: Psykedelikans kemi och koordinering av forskning med Ulf Bremberg
Facts INTEGRATE
- Is an interdisciplinary doctoral network for training, education, and research into Applications of and Therapeutic Expertise around Psychedelics that will train a new generation of psychedelic researchers across Europe.
- Will train 16 PhD candidates in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Swede & the Czech Republic.
- Will address a wide range of complex and interrelated challenges, including mechanisms of action, optimal trial design, legal and regulatory frameworks & ethical issues.
Contact
Ulf Bremberg, Visiting researcher
Dep. of Medicinal Chemistry
Ulf.Bremberg@ilk.uu.se
text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Osmond Labs, Tobias Sterner a o