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Research, Drug Development & Manufacturing
Academic & Non-Profit ResearchUniversities and Colleges with Dedicated Psychedelic Research Groups
Research, Drug Development & Manufacturing

Imperial College London

Data updated

United Kingdom
5 Trials3 Papers

The Centre for Psychedelic Research, led by Professor David Nutt and Dr. David Erritzoe, focuses heavily on the action of psychedelic drugs in the brain and their clinical utility as aides to psychotherapy. Thanks to their extensive neuroimaging studies, this group has proposed vital mechanisms for how psychedelics work, including the Entropic Brain Theory and REBUS (RElaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics).

Academic Research

3 papers

Published Papers

3

Trial Involvement

5

Distinct Focus Topics

0

Latest Publication

Mar 21, 2026

Government funding received

1 grant

MRC — Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (feasibility trial)

2014–2017

Medical Research CouncilAmount undisclosed
PsilocybinTreatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)

MRC-funded small feasibility trial at Imperial College London on psilocybin in patients who had failed both antidepressants and psychotherapeutic treatments. Robin Carhart-Harris and David Nutt PIs. Foundational for what became the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research. Exact amount not publicly itemised — TO BE CONFIRMED from MRC grant database.

Source

Ecosystem

2 connections

Philanthropic Funders

Alexander Mosely Charitable Trust

Funding for Imperial's Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology psychedelic research (Prof David Nutt), including psilocybin-for-depression work

Mar 2, 2018

at least £600,000

Max Mosley-owned trust funding Imperial lab - Felix

Named founding philanthropic funder of Imperial's Centre for Psychedelic Research

Apr 26, 2019

undisclosed

Imperial launches world's first Centre for Psychedelics Research / Centre funding page
Beckley Foundation

Establishment of the Beckley/Imperial Psychedelic Research Programme (Amanda Feilding with David Nutt / Robin Carhart-Harris)

Jan 1, 2008

undisclosed

The Beckley/Imperial Psychedelic Research Programme

First-ever neuroimaging study of LSD (results in PNAS)

Jan 1, 2016

undisclosed

The Beckley/Imperial Psychedelic Research Programme

Psilocybin feasibility study for treatment-resistant depression

Jan 1, 2016

undisclosed

The Beckley/Imperial Psychedelic Research Programme

Quick Facts

Type
academic
HQ
United Kingdom
Website
Visit

Research Landscape

What the 5 registered trials Imperial College London sponsors or participates in look like when you line them up. Counts come from Blossom’s trial records as of July 2026.

What's live right now, and what stopped?

Sourced

Registry status of all 5 Imperial College London trials Blossom tracks. Orange marks trials recruiting or opening.

Recruiting or opening
120%
Completed
360%
Unknown / other
120%
Browse trials →

Don't read stopped trials as failures: trials end early for funding, recruitment, and strategy reasons too. Status is as last synced from the registry; some 'recruiting' trials may already have finished.

Sponsored Trials

5
RecruitingI

PsiloIMAGINE: A Psychedelic-augmented Mental Imagery-based Intervention for Young People With Self-harm

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin, Placebo
CompletedI

PsilOCD: A Pharmacological-Challenge Feasibility Study

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin
Unknown statusNA

Psilocybin in Patients With Fibromyalgia: EEG-measured Brain Biomarkers of Action (Psilopain)

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin
CompletedI, II

Psilocybin as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin
CompletedII

Psilocybin vs Escitalopram for Major Depressive Disorder: Comparative Mechanisms

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin, Placebo

Research Papers

3
Open Accessindividual

Detecting neuroplastic effects induced by ketamine in healthy human subjects: A multimodal approach

This brain imaging study (n=11) found that a single intravenous dose of ketamine (70mg/70kg) increased glutamate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex and altered functional connectivity between this region, the dlPFC, and the amygdala in healthy men. Multimodal imaging also suggested that ketamine-related increases in a putative marker of synaptic plasticity were linked to reduced default mode network activity.

Published
Journal
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism
Authors
Agnorelli, C., Peill, J., Sawicka, G., Kurtin, D., Shatalina, E., Ahmad, K., Wall, M. B., Rua, C., Godfrey, K., Ertl, N., Searle, G., Zhou, K., Osugo, M., Weiss, B., Greenway, K. T., Fagiolini, A., Carhart-Harris, R., Matthews, P. M., Rabiner, E. A., Nutt, D., Erritzoe, D.
Paywallmeta

Psychedelic Therapy vs Antidepressants for the Treatment of Depression Under Equal Unblinding Conditions A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis (s=24) found that psychedelic-assisted therapy (s=8) was no more effective than open-label traditional antidepressants for treating major depression, and that, unlike traditional antidepressants (where blinding meaningfully influenced outcomes), PAT trials showed no difference between blinded and open-label conditions, confirming that PAT trials are effectively always unblinded.

Published
Journal
JAMA Psychiatry
Authors
Williams, Z. J., Barnett, H., Szigeti, B.
Open AccessindividualSecondary analysis

The Impact of Ayahuasca on Suicidality: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This secondary analysis of a double-blind, parallel-arm, randomised placebo-controlled trial (n=29) investigates the impact of ayahuasca on suicidality (SI) in individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). It found that ayahuasca may show potential as a fast-acting and innovative intervention for SI, but didn't find significant results (only a trend with a large effect size). This is the first study to investigate the use of ayahuasca for SI.

Published
Journal
Frontiers in Pharmacology
Authors
Araújo, D. B., Zeifman, R. J., Palhano-Fontes, F., Hallak, J. E., Arcoverde, E., Maia-de-Oliveira, J. P.