Congratulations to Inis C. Serrano on successfully defending her PhD!

We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest perspective article titled "Seeing the Spikes: The Future of Targetable Synthetic Voltage Sensors" in ACS Chem Neurosci. We summarize the progress in developing targetable VSDs, discuss their potential relevance in neuroscience for imaging membrane potentials in live brain tissue, and outline the challenges that must be addressed to enable the widespread use of synthetic VSDs. Read more in ACS Chem Neurosci. 

Congratulations to Adriana Mendieta on successfully defending her PhD!

Congratulations to Boxuan Ma, 马伯瑄, on completing his M.A. in Biotechnology!

Congratulations to Rose Liu on her acceptance to Columbia University's 4 + 1 Master of Public Health program! 

Congratulations to Tim L. Selinger on successfully completing his 9-month master's thesis project with us! Wishing him continued success as he earns his Master’s degree from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, at the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Congratulations to Rachel Rumstein and Tyler Shern for receiving their B.A. from Columbia College!

Congratulations to Keaon Brown for passing his fourth-year original research proposal defense!

Congratulations to Dr. Xavier Westergaard on successfully defending his PhD! 

We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest research titled "Oxa-Iboga alkaloids lack cardiac risk and disrupt opioid use in animal models" in Nature Communications. In our latest publication, we introduce the oxa iboga alkaloids class, which minimizes the cardiac safety risk, inherent from ibogaine and noribogaine intake, and acts as potent, yet atypical, kappa opioid receptors agonists in vitro and in vivo.  Oxa-noribogaine, particularly, induces long-lasting suppression of morphine, heroin, and fentanyl intake after a single dose or a short treatment regimen, reverses persistent opioid induced hyperalgesia, and suppresses opioid drug seeking in rodent relapse models.  Read more about our groundbreaking research in Nature Communcations. 

Professor Sames was interviewed on a podcast by Dr. Deborah Mash, a pioneer of ibogaine clinical research. You can listen to the podcast on Spotify. 

We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest research titled "Structural Pharmacology and Therapeutic Potential of 5-Methoxytryptamines" in Nature. In our study, we delve into the molecular underpinnings of 5-MeO-DMT pharmacology, a compound found in the toxin of Colorado River toads. Through a combination of cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures, systematic medicinal chemistry, receptor mutagenesis, and mouse behavior studies, we've uncovered crucial insights into how psychedelics engage with the 5-HT1A. Our findings reveal the intricate relationship between 5-MeO-DMT and 5-HT1A, highlighting the potential for developing new medications targeting neuropsychiatric disorders. Importantly, we've identified a 5-HT1A-selective analogue of 5-MeO-DMT that shows promising anxiolytic and antidepressant effects without the hallucinogenic properties. This breakthrough paves the way for future advancements in psychedelic-assisted therapy, offering hope for those suffering from various neuropsychiatric conditions. Read more about our groundbreaking research in Nature. 
 

This paper was also featured in an article in Nature Briefing, C&EN, Columbia News, NewScientist, Smithsonian Magazine, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation eNews, and Gizmodo!

The Sames Lab welcomes Dr. Bruno Rodrigo Gonzalez Nunez, our new post-doctoral scientist!

We are pleased to announce the release of our latest preprint: "Robust Methods for Quantifying Neuronal Morphology and Molecular Signaling Reveal That Psychedelics Do Not Induce Neuroplasticity." Congratulations to Umed Boltaev for producing another outstanding paper!

Congratulations to Michael Chan for being awarded the Guthikonda Summer Fellowship 2024!

Dr. Umed Boltaev delivered a presentation at the International Society for Research on Psychedelics Conference, focusing on the topic of "Robust Multimodal Screening Platform for Quantifying Neuronal Morphology and Molecular Signaling: Do Psychedelics Directly Modulate TrkB and Do They Induce Dendritogenesis?" His insightful discourse recently garnered attention and recognition in a news post on PSYCHEDELIC Alpha.

Congratulations to Xavier Westergaard for his selection as a finalist for this year's university-wide Presidential Teaching Award For A Graduate Student for his contributions and dedication in teaching students from the class, BIOL UN3004: Neurobiology I.

The Sames Lab is pleased to welcome three new undergraduates: Michael Chan, Gideon Marcus, and Tyler Shern. Additionally, we extend a warm welcome to Tim Luca Selinger, an MA student, who joins us on a 9-month fellowship. Furthermore, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Hannah Goodman, our new post-doctoral scientist.

Congratulations to Inis Serrano and Yilun Yang for passing their fourth-year original research proposal defense!

The Sames lab welcomes Boxuan Ma, an MA student in Biotechnology!

Prof. Sames discusses the interface between academia and entrepreneur activity in the US, our work on ibogaine, and more, for the Czech News outlet FOCUSON (in Czech language)

Prof. Sames discusses ibogaine, psychedelics and social and scientific revolutions with Dr. David Hellerstein, physician scientist who runs clinical efficacy studies with psilocybin at Columbia University/NYSPI, on a podcast “Bar Talk Series” YouTube, Spotify

Congratulations to Keaon Brown for receiving the "Jack Miller Teaching Award." The Jack Miller awards honor the exceptional teaching skills of graduate students during their second year in the Ph.D. program, paying tribute to the influential nuclear chemist who left a lasting impact through his dedication to teaching and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as his colleagues.

Congratulations to Priscilla Duggan for receiving the "Capstone Award for Distinguished Achievement" The Capstone Award in Neuroscience is given to a select few Barnard students each year in recognition of the broader impact of their research. This year Priscilla was awarded the title by the Neuroscience Department for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience - for the research in our lab.

Congratulations to Keaon Brown for passing the second-year defense! 

Dopamine transporter and synaptic vesicle sorting defects underlie auxilin-associated Parkinson's disease Auxilin participates in clathrin uncoating to facilitate presynaptic endocytosis. Loss-of-function mutations of auxilin (PARK19) cause Parkinson's disease. Using auxilin KO mice, Vidyadhara et al. show that synaptic vesicle sorting deficits, cytoplasmic dopamine accumulation, dopamine transporter mistrafficking, and synaptic autophagic overload may lead to pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease in PARK19 patients.

COLUMBIA NEWS: New Article Shows Promise of a Psychedelic Without the Hallucinations A new article in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience examines the potential of Ariadne, a non-hallucinogenic psychedelic, in producing a wide array of benefits in neurological and psychiatric disorder

A new paper on Pharmacological Mechanism of the Non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A Agonist Ariadne and Analogs Ariadne is a non-hallucinogenic analog in the phenylalkylamine chemical class of psychedelics that is closely related to an established synthetic hallucinogen, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methyl-amphetamine (DOM), differing only by one methylene group in the alpha-position to the amine. It emerges as a prototype of a new drug class, non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A agonists, with considerable therapeutic potential across psychiatric and neurological indications. 

The Sames lab welcomes a new undergraduate student, Rose Liu!