Chemical composition of Psilocybin-Containing Mushrooms
Initial results of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy using the psilocybin molecule to treat major depressive disorder report sustained relief from chronic conditions after just one treatment. As a result of these studies, psilocybin was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation in 2018 for treatment-resistant depression.
As this treatment gains support, we believe it’s important to consider the differences between the molecule psilocybin and various Psilocybe species.
Plants and fungi have a long history of medicinal use yet, modern medicine has turned away from plant-based medicinals due to heterogeneity that results in inconsistent and unpredictable dosing.
Our lab aims to support the safe use of natural products in their natural setting, by understanding the chemical composition of traditional medicinals.
Potentiating Psilocybin
In 2019 Blei et. al. published an unexpected paper revealing that β-carbolines—monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)—are also found in five common Psilocybe sp..
Generally, MAOIs are considered to be counter indicated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)—common treatments for psychiatric disorders, migraine headaches and neuropathic pain. In fact, patients taking SSRIs have developed serotonin syndrome after ingesting mixtures of serotonergic psychedelics and MAOIs—overwhelming the serotonin system and resulting in death.
These counter indications are absent in research that relies exclusively on the psilocybin molecule. As city and state legislatures are now legalizing and/or decriminalizing Psilocybe sp., these potential drug interactions represent a high-risk to current SSRI patients.
Our lab works to investigate the physiological response to these natural products, investigating both the potentiating effects and counter-indications that may result from the diverse array of bioactive molecules present in Psilocybe.
Postdoctoral Work:
Microphysiological systems, also called organs on chips, approach scientific advancement from a belief that until it can be built, it is not fully understood.
My work in the Cliffel lab at Vanderbilt focused on developing blood-brain barrier models and analytical platforms to address questions about health and disease.
With these model organs or organ systems we can reduce or eliminate animal testing by allowing drugs and toxicants to be applied directly to these model systems.
Combining neurobiology, toxicology, analytical chemistry, we use an organ-on-chip neurovascular unit (NVU) with targeted mass spectrometry (MS) and electrochemical analysis to assess the impact of organophosphate exposure on blood-brain barrier (BBB) function.
With this application in mind, we also design and implement new electrochemical detection systems by creating new electrodes, fluidics, pumps, valves, and software. Working together, these systems create a high degree of automation that caters to the specific needs of electrochemical detection.
Ph.D. Dissertation work:
Adhesion beyond the interface: Molecular adaptations of the mussel byssus to the intertidal zone
The California mussel, Mytilus californianus, adheres robustly in the high-energy and oxidizing intertidal zone with a fibrous holdfast called the byssus using 3,4- dihydroxyphenyl-L-alanine (Dopa)-containing adhesive mussel foot proteins (mfps). There are many supporting roles to mussel adhesion that are intimately linked and ultimately responsible for mussel byssus’s durable and dynamic adhesion. This dissertation explores these supporting mechanisms, including delivery of materials underwater, iron binding, friction, and antioxidant activity.