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Bethany Halford

3 papers in the library · publishing 2020-2022

Papers

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Rediscovering psychedelics

C&EN Global Enterprise March 7, 2022 Bethany Halford

Over the past decade, psychedelic compounds like psilocybin and ecstasy have emerged as potentially life-changing treatments for mental illnesses, including major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Read on to learn how some companies are trying to bring these once-demonized drugs to market and how others are hoping to use chemistry to eliminate their hallucinogenic effects—a...

Hallucinogen chemistry guides antidepressant drug discovery

C&EN Global Enterprise February 7, 2022 Bethany Halford

Scientists have long sought the secrets of the 5-HT 2A serotonin receptor—a central nervous system receptor that binds hallucinogenic compounds, including LSD and psilocybin. Many hope to discover why these molecules cause hallucinations when they bind to 5-HT 2A while other compounds that bind to the receptor, including serotonin, do not. LSD and psilocybin have been shown to treat mood...

Taming ibogaine

C&EN Global Enterprise December 18, 2020 Bethany Halford

By systematically tweaking the structure of the psychedelic compound ibogaine, chemists have created a molecule that may someday find use as a treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and addiction. The compound, which the researchers call tabernanthalog, has a simpler structure than ibogaine, making it easier to synthesize. Researchers in David E. Olson’s lab at the...