Tabernanthalog for opioid addiction
Target Specificity of Tabernanthalog Treatment in Opioid Use Disorder
This project looks at whether tabernanthalog can help people with opioid use disorder by restoring prefrontal brain connections and lowering relapse risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11363767 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are studying tabernanthalog, a compound related to psychedelics but designed to avoid hallucinations, to see if it can promote healthy brain wiring in the prefrontal cortex that helps control cravings. They will use laboratory and preclinical models to measure changes in neural connections and behaviors linked to opioid seeking and relapse, and will probe how the drug interacts with serotonin receptors. The team will investigate receptor specificity to reduce potential side effects such as cardiac or sensory disturbances. Successful preclinical results would support moving toward early human trials to test safety and benefit.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with opioid use disorder, especially those with repeated relapse or poor response to current medications, would be the likely candidates for future trials.
Not a fit: People without opioid use disorder or those seeking an already approved immediate treatment are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research at its current preclinical stage.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments that restore decision-making circuits, reduce relapse, and lessen the need for long-term opioid-substitution medications.
How similar studies have performed: Psychedelic drugs and ibogaine analogs have shown anti-addiction effects in animal models and some early human reports, but tabernanthalog is a newer non-hallucinogenic candidate with primarily preclinical evidence so far.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Peters, Jamie — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Peters, Jamie
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.