University of Colorado Takes Major Role in Psilocybin Research

The University of Colorado is prepared to take a major role in psychedelics and mental health research, with studies taking place to learn more about how psilocybin could treat palliative care, postpartum depression and traumatic brain injury patients, among others.

On Wednesday, June 18, three scientists from the CU Denver Center for Psychedelic Research appeared at the MAPS Psychedelic Science conference in downtown Denver to discuss their current research at the center along with works in progress and a view to future clinical trials.

The Psychedelic Research Center was launched just over a year ago to study the potential benefits of psychedelic drugs on a range of conditions, from mental and emotional health to late-stage cancer and chronic disease. Its studies include a National Cancer Institute-funded psilocybin clinical trial for stage three and four cancer patients suffering with anxiety and depression, led by Dr. Stacy Fischer.

Fischer's entry to the psychedelic space started slowly, after meeting a late-stage cancer patient who wanted nothing more than to eat a hamburger — something the tumors in his abdomen wouldn't allow.

"I was able to sit with him, I was able to witness and be present, but I had no tools in my toolbox to try to resolve the existential distress and demoralization he was experiencing," she told a crowd during a Psychedelic Science panel.

Not long after that experience, a colleague sent Fischer Michael Pollan's 2015 New Yorker article about the potential of psychedelics in therapy. It wasn't soon enough to help her patient who wanted a hamburger, but today she is helping patients deal with their end-of-life anxiety and depression in clinical trials.

The CU psychedelics center also offers certificate programs for facilitators under Colorado's new natural medicine law, and training for facilitators in clinical research projects.

Jim Grigsby, chief science officer and executive director of the center, gave an overview of the center's current projects. Along with the palliative care for cancer patients study, which has already shown some promise for at least on patient, the scientists are examining psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and a psilocin-related compound called RE104 for postpartum depression.

Grigsby told the crowd the center is engaged in development of an instrument to measure set and setting in psychedelic-assisted therapy, noting that "setting," or the physical space in which one takes the natural medicine, had little rigorous examination in the past.

Another early stage study examines mystical experience, and whether and to what extent such an experience is a necessary precondition for psychological change. (In other words, a transcendental state and the accompanying awe, a fundamental element of the healing, that comes after.)

According to Grigsby, Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) showed potential for PTSD, "but we're interested in looking at what happens when you include MDMA with that." A trauma-focused version of cognitive behavioral therapy, CBCT includes a partner or family member alongside the person experiencing PTSD. The first study combining CBCT with MDMA was published just last year.

The panel also gave a sneak peek at potential projects in the not-too-distant future. These include researching how psilocybin could treat mild traumatic brain injuries and depression and anxiety in ALS, Parkinson' Disease and neurological patients.

Another study Grigsby wants to pursue: applying MDMA therapy for abused and neglected dogs.

Yes, dogs.

After the session, Fischer told Westword that was the first she'd heard of the possibility of using psychedelics to heal our four-legged friends. "[Grigsby] is full of ideas," she laughed.

Psychedelic Science 2025 continues at the Denver Convention Center through Friday.