Oregon naturopathic university receives $30K grant for inaugural psychedelic therapy research under new state model

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) received a $30,000 grant to launch a study into the treatment of depression in low-income adults using psilocybin-assisted therapy. 

The Low-Income Group Psilocybin Assisted Therapy for Depression (LIGPATD) study, open to qualifying adult Oregon residents, serves as a milestone in psychedelic research as the first of its kind to be conducted under the Oregon Psilocybin Services model regulating state psilocybin services. 

Led by NUNM alumnus Dr. Matthew Hicks, the study will gauge feasibility of the research approach and methodology, setting a precedent for later psilocybin-assisted treatment studies. Hicks said it will be among the first few to use a group model, as well as the first psychedelic research to focus specifically on low-income populations.

"This project is attempting to address one of the big issues within psychedelic therapy, which is affordability," said Hicks, who earned his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and Master of Science in Clinical Research degrees from NUNM in 2018. "For all the hype that's been created, it's still not very accessible to most people. Research is a way to address that in the long run." 

The study is supported by the Sheri Eckert Foundation, a nonprofit funding statewide psilocybin facilitation operation. Participants will begin the study with virtual preparation sessions, followed by in-person treatment sessions at a licensed psilocybin service center in Portland, and will conclude with group integration sessions to process experiences post-treatment. 

Hicks said they hope the study can inform future research into treatment effectiveness and eventually determine a cost benefit for psychedelic-assisted therapy over conventional treatment for depression.

This could drive nationwide policy change to include legal access to psychedelic therapies, Hicks said, as well as insurance coverage.

"To get there," he said, "we'll need data that demonstrates that it's safe, effective, and cheaper than current leading therapies."

Established in 1956, the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon, is the longest active, accredited naturopathic medical university in North America and a leader in natural medicine education and evidence-based research.

NUNM's Helfgott Research Institute, founded in 2003, is a professionally independent, non-profit research institute conducting rigorous, high-quality research on the art and science of healing.

SOURCE National University of Natural Medicine