New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research has opened the Center for Psychedelics Research and Treatment at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks.
The center includes the Feinstein Family Human Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, which features “a driving simulator, modular bar and living room spaces” to simulate real-world environments for clinical research, according to a Jan. 27 news release.
Led by behavioral health researchers Jon Kane, MD, and Nehal Vadhan, PhD, the center will oversee psychedelic research across Northwell’s 28-hospital system. Early projects include a clinical trial on psilocybin use for social anxiety, a study on the tolerability of MDMA in patients with schizophrenia and assessment of naturalistic psychedelic use.
“This new facility and planned research are crucial for uncovering novel treatments for difficult-to-treat disorders and symptoms, impacting patients who suffer from conditions in desperate need of effective therapies,” Dr. Vadhan said in the release.
The lab was funded through a combination of philanthropy and institutional support. Within five years, Northwell expects to complete initial research, launch larger trials with federal backing and begin clinical care, pending regulatory approval. Ten-year goals include facility expansion, hiring researchers, hosting conferences on psychedelic science and developing new therapeutics.
