Reverse engineering therapeutic mechanisms of ketamine and Psychedelics: Insights from Translational Oncology for Research in Psychiatry

Abstract

Modern medical advancements have revolutionized numerous fields; however, psychiatric research has yet to fully benefit from these techniques in delivering novel, personalized treatments to patients. Conversely, oncology has seen revolutions in cellular and immune therapies, moving into an era of basket trials and ever-increasing patient specificity. For psychiatry, ketamine and psychedelics (KPs) have shown promising initial results, yet clear gaps exist in basic mechanistic understanding and clinical application. Acknowledging important differences between the disciplines, this review highlights key strategies from translational oncology which may be informative and applicable to research with these medicines. By viewing KPs in the context of early-generation cellular, immune, and chemotherapies, researchers can leverage their inherent complexity and novelty to foster translational and regulatory progress. Following the cancer model, large scale collaborations to enhance biomarker and clinical outcomes data collection may be beneficial. KPs may also be uniquely suited to develop multi-modal treatment regimens, like those which have proven highly beneficial in cancer. This can provide synergy with targeted therapies, while helping to overcome and uncover patient heterogeneity.