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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

5 papers

Published Papers

5

Trial Involvement

22

Distinct Focus Topics

0

Latest Publication

Apr 28, 2026

Recent Papers

Quick Facts

Type
academic
HQ
Switzerland
Website
Visit

Research Landscape

What the 50 registered trials University of Basel sponsors or participates in look like when you line them up. Counts come from Blossom’s trial records as of July 2026.

How fast is University of Basel research growing?

Sourced

Registered trials by recorded study-start year; 7 earlier trials began before 2012. Click a year for the running total.

6trials began in 2021

+100% vs 2020

29 started by 2021

Browse trials→

Don't read as total research effort: only registered trials with a recorded start date are counted (50 of 50 tracked). Recent years under-count because of registration lag; striped bars are still filling in or are planned starts.

What's live right now, and what stopped?

Sourced

Registry status of all 50 University of Basel trials Blossom tracks. Orange marks trials recruiting or opening.

Recruiting or opening
1224%
Completed
3876%
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.

Which conditions does University of Basel run trials on?

Sourced

Trials per primary indication. Orange marks the largest research focus.

Depressive Disorders
2
Addiction & Substance Use
1
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
1
Interpersonal Functioning & Social Connectedness
1
Neuroimaging & Brain Measures
1
Anxiety Disorders
1
Headache Disorders (Cluster & Migraine)
1
Palliative & End-of-Life Distress
1

Don't read shares as adding to 100%: a trial with several primary indications counts once per indication. Trial volume signals research attention, not evidence quality.

Which compounds appear in University of Basel trials?

Sourced

Trials per compound. Orange marks the most-studied compound.

MDMA
23
LSD
19
DMT
7
Psilocybin
7
Mescaline
2
5-MeO-DMT
1
Ketamine
1
2C-X
1

Don't read shares as adding to 100%: a trial testing several compounds counts once per compound, and placebo comparator arms are not shown. Trial volume signals research attention, not evidence quality.

Sponsored Trials

20
Not yet recruitingNA

Circulating Oxytocin Changes in Response to MDMA vs. Placebo in Adult Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Matched Healthy Controls

Start Date
Compounds
MDMA, Placebo
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
RecruitingNA

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

Start Date
Compounds
LSD, Placebo
CompletedI

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
CompletedI

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
RecruitingII

LSD Treatment for Persons With Alcohol Use Disorder (LYSTA)

Start Date
Compounds
LSD
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

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

5
Open Accessindividual

Acute dose-dependent effects of 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) compared with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy participants

This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study (n=24) in healthy adults compared acute effects of 2C-B, MDMA and psilocybin. A 30 mg dose of 2C-B produced effects similar to MDMA and some psychedelic changes, while MDMA caused the strongest cardiovascular stimulation and psilocybin caused more anxiety and unpleasant effects.

Published
Journal
Neuropsychopharmacology
Authors
Arikci, D., Borgulya, J., Straumann, I., Vizeli, P., Luethi, D., Thomann, J., Rudin, D., Vukalovic, I., Eckert, A., Liechti, M. E., Holze, F.
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 AccessindividualPrimary

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 AccessindividualPooled analysis

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 AccessindividualPrimary

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.