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Research, Drug Development & Manufacturing

University of Basel

Switzerland
22 Trials4 Papers

The University of Basel Department of Biomedicine hosts the Liechti Lab research group, headed by Matthias Liechti. Research here is primarily focused on the pharmacology of psychoactive substances. Much of the clinical research exploring the effects of LSD is taking place at University Hospital Basel. Researchers here are exploring the potential of LSD to treat Cluster Headache, Major Depressive Disorder and anxiety associated with severe somatic diseases. Professor Liechti is also conducting studies comparing the acute effects of LSD, psilocybin and mescaline, and MDMA for fear extinction.

Academic Research

4 papers

Published Papers

4

Trial Involvement

22

Distinct Focus Topics

0

Latest Publication

Mar 31, 2026

Recent Papers

Quick Facts

Type
academic
HQ
Switzerland
Website
Visit

Sponsored Trials

20
RecruitingI

Acute Effects of Intravenous 5-MeO-DMT in Healthy Participants

Start Date
Compounds
5-MeO-DMT, Placebo
RecruitingI

Acute Analgesic Effects of MDMA on Experimentally Induced Acute Pain, Hyperalgesia and Allodynia in Healthy Participants

Start Date
Compounds
MDMA, Placebo
Not yet recruitingNA

Pharmacokinetics of Didehydro-LSD (DDH-LSD) Compared With LSD

Start Date
Compounds
LSD, Placebo
RecruitingI

Comparative Acute Effects of R-MDMA and S-MDMA in Healthy Participants (R-S-)

Start Date
Compounds
MDMA, Placebo
RecruitingI

Acute Effects of MDMA Co-administration on the Response to Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (MDMA-Psilo)

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin, Placebo, MDMA
RecruitingNA

Antidepressant Response of DMT Masked With Propofol (DMT4D)

Start Date
Compounds
DMT, Placebo
RecruitingI

Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD, Psilocybin, and DMT in Healthy Participants (LPD)

Start Date
Compounds
LSD, Psilocybin, DMT, Placebo
RecruitingI

Role of the Serotonin 2A Receptor in Psilocybin-induced Altered States of Consciousness

Start Date
Compounds
Psilocybin, Placebo
RecruitingNA

Plasma Oxytocin Changes in Response to Low-dose MDMA vs. Placebo in Patients With Arginine Vasopressin Deficiency and Healthy Controls (OxyMAX)

Start Date
Compounds
MDMA, Placebo
RecruitingI

Acute Analgesic Effects of DMT on Experimentally Induced Pain in Healthy Participants

Start Date
Compounds
DMT, Ketamine, Placebo
CompletedNA

LSD-Perceptual-Choice-Study (LUCY)

Start Date
Compounds
LSD, Placebo
CompletedI

Effect of Ketanserin, Olanzapine, and Lorazepam After LSD Administration on the Acute Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects (LBL)

Start Date
Compounds
LSD, Placebo
CompletedI

Acute Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) With and Without a Booster Dose

Start Date
Compounds
MDMA, Placebo
RecruitingII

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in Palliative Care (LPC)

Start Date
Compounds
LSD
CompletedI

Acute Dose-dependent Effects of DMT-bolus Applications in Healthy Subjects (DMT BDR-Study) (DMT BDR)

Start Date
Compounds
DMT, Placebo
CompletedI

Acute Effects of 2C-B Compared With MDMA and Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects (2C-B)

Start Date
Compounds
2C-X, MDMA, Psilocybin, Placebo
CompletedI

Acute Dose-dependent Effects of DMT in Healthy Subjects: A Placebo-controlled Cross-over Study (DMT DR)

Start Date
Compounds
DMT, Placebo
CompletedI

Acute Effects of R- and S-MDMA in Healthy Subjects (R-S-MDMA)

Start Date
Compounds
MDMA, Placebo
CompletedI

Effects of SERT Inhibition on the Subjective Response to LSD in Healthy Subjects (SERT-LSD)

Start Date
Compounds
LSD, Placebo
CompletedI

Effects of Dimethyltryptamine in Healthy Subjects

Start Date
Compounds
Placebo, DMT

Collaborated Trials

2
CompletedI

Neurodynamics of Prosocial Emotional Processing Following Serotonergic Stimulation With N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and Harmine in Healthy Subjects

Start Date
Compounds
DMT, Placebo
CompletedII

LSD Therapy for Persons Suffering From Major Depression

Start Date
Compounds
LSD

Research Papers

4
Open Accessindividual

Mystical dynamics: renewal, luminous light, and ego disintegration as key features associated with mystical oneness—a psychometric analysis using the PES100 in controlled psychedelic studies

This psychometric analysis using the PES100 examined 816 measurements from healthy participants (n=386) across 15 controlled psychedelic studies of LSD, psilocybin, mescaline and DMT. It found that mystical oneness was strongly linked to feelings of luminous light and renewal, and moderately to strongly linked to ego disintegration, with these links increasing with dose.

Published
Journal
Religion, Brain & Behavior
Authors
Stocker, K., Hartmann, M., Barrett, F. S., Richards, W., Sepeda, N. D., Straumann, I., Klaiber, A., Vogt, S. B., Erne, L., Ley, L., Becker, A. M., Vizeli, P., Holze, F., Liechti, M. E.
Open Accessindividual

Dose-dependent pharmacokinetics and acute effects of intravenous bolus N,N-dimethyltryptamine: double-blind, randomized versus open-label dose-escalation administration study in healthy participants

This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study and separate open-label dose-escalation study (n=36) in healthy participants examined intravenous DMT and found that it produced very strong but short-lived subjective effects, peaking within 2 minutes and fading within 12 to 30 minutes. The strongest effects levelled off at 15 mg, and dose escalation appeared to improve tolerability compared with blinded dosing.

Published
Journal
Translational Psychiatry
Authors
Erne, L., Mueller, L., Straumann, I., Ademaj, B., Eckert, A., Vukalovic, I., Valenta, J., Luethi, D., Liechti, M. E., Vogt, S. B.
Open Accessindividual

Safety pharmacology of acute mescaline administration in healthy participants

This pooled analysis of two double‑blind, randomized, placebo‑controlled studies (48 participants, 96 administrations) found that single oral doses of mescaline 100–800 mg produced dose‑dependent increases in positive subjective effects with only moderate autonomic changes and no clinically significant liver, kidney or haematological abnormalities. Although nausea was dose‑limiting and small proportions experienced transient diastolic hypertension, tachycardia, fever or “flashbacks”, single doses up to 800 mg were considered safe with respect to acute psychological and physical harm in healthy participants in a controlled clinical setting.

Published
Journal
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
Authors
Klaiber, A., Humbert‐Droz, M., Ley, L., Schmid, Y., Liechti, M. E.
Open Accessindividual

Comparative acute effects of mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide, and psilocybin in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study in healthy participants

In a randomised, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled crossover study (n=32) in healthy volunteers, mescaline (300/500 mg), LSD (100 µg), and psilocybin (20 mg) produced comparable acute subjective effects with no qualitative differences in altered states of consciousness at psychoactive‑equivalent doses. Pharmacokinetic differences explained duration differences (mescaline ≈11.1 h, LSD ≈8.2 h, psilocybin ≈4.9 h), with modest autonomic and oxytocin effects (mescaline and LSD increased oxytocin) and similar tolerability apart from slightly more subacute adverse effects after mescaline.

Published
Journal
Neuropsychopharmacology
Authors
Ley, L., Holze, F., Arikci, D., Becker, A. M., Straumann, I., Klaiber, A., Coviello, F., Dierbach, S., Thomann, J., Duthaler, U., Luethi, D., Varghese, N., Eckert, A., Liechti, M. E.