BioCentury
ARTICLE | Discovery & Translation

Dialing out the hallucinogenic effect of psychedelics — BioCentury’s Science Spotlight

This week’s translational roundup also includes spatiotemporal degraders, LIMCH1 vesicles in preeclampsia, and three newcos

February 5, 2026 12:05 AM UTC

Researchers from  Sichuan University separated the hallucinogenic and  therapeutic effects of psychedelics, paving the way for safer versions of the therapeutic class.

By comparing psychedelics with their non-hallucinogenic analogues, the Nature study authors showed 5-HT2A receptor-mediated non-canonical Gi signaling is required for the hallucinogenic effect, while canonical Gq signaling mediates the therapeutic effect...