My project seeks to make these types of structural changes to psilocybin and DMT in an attempt to make non-hallucinogenic, therapeutically active, psychedelic-inspired drugs. This new type of drug would reduce the risks and side effects currently associated with the use of psychedelic therapies, allowing for the benefits while mitigating the risks and broadening clinical applications.

To do this, I'm working to modify the process we use to enzymatically synthesize psilocybin and DMT in the lab. By using derivatives of our starting material, indole, we can also produce derivatives of the product, psilocybin or DMT. The trick is getting the enzymes to function on the new compounds, which has previously been proven to be an issue (Flower et al., 2023). To allow a greater variety of derivatives through, I'm exploring alternative enzymes to replace the ones we typically use from the Psilocybe cubensis mushroom. These have the same function, but are taken from bacteria so that they have a better chance of working well in our bacterial, E. coli, model.

Since this work seeks to increase the number of new, nonnatural, psilocybin and DMT derivatives we can make with our synthesis model, it is titled: Nonnatural Psilocybin and DMT Derivative Synthesis Expansion. Or, Inventing Psychedelics.

Aside from fulfilling my constant desire to explore and question the world, taking part in research has helped me to explore my passions outside my major and the classroom. While I enjoy studying Biochemistry and am attending vet school in the Fall, participating in research has made me realize that I might want to pursue research and drug development as a part of my career as a veterinarian. I absolutely love the type of critical thinking that goes into researching a question or issue that doesn't have an existing answer. Personally, I see this process very similarly to medicine and veterinary work. Although you know there is a problem and it is likely solvable, it takes troubleshooting and diagnostic tests to know what you're dealing with and how to move forward in both the lab and in the clinic. While attending classes helps me learn material, working in the lab helps me learn those crucial problem-solving skills. Also much like a clinic, working in a lab isn't usually something I do alone. Both settings require working in unison with other people to resolve the problem from multiple angles. While someone runs the bloodwork on a patient, someone else starts x-rays and imaging, just like how I am researching this project while many other people work on other questions related to psilocybin synthesis. Having such interconnected work means it is absolutely necessary that we all communicate and work as a team. If one of us runs into an issue, everyone else needs to know too, so that they can use that knowledge to inform their work on their piece of the puzzle. While this work may initially seem like it doesn't relate to my career as a vet, I know that I've learned a lot and will both directly and indirectly incorporate the skills I've developed into my future.