One in five people in the U.S. are living with a neuropsychiatric or neurodegenerative disorder. We have drugs to treat many of these conditions. We’ve all seen the commercials. Unfortunately, sometimes the side effects can be worse than the disease. A new collaboration at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) combining cutting-edge neuroscience and chemistry may point the way to better therapeutic strategies with fewer harmful side effects.
One drug CSHL scientists are looking at closely is ketamine. In recent years, some doctors have been prescribing it for depression and anxiety. This is controversial for a number of reasons, not least of which is that ketamine is also an illicit substance sold as special K. Last week, CSHL Professor Hiro Furukawa revealed for the first time how ketamine binds to a particular kind of brain receptor called an NMDAR. Now, Furukawa is teaming up with CSHL Professor John Moses to take this research to the next level.
“We want to obtain the blueprint for drug development,” says Furukawa. “We want to make special K not so special—a true antidepressant.”
How are they doing it? The answer involves a Nobel Prize-winning approach known as click chemistry, pioneered by Moses’ mentor, K. Barry Sharpless. Professors Moses and Furukawa offered local community members a preview of their project at the CSHL Association’s 2025 Annual Meeting. Now, you can see it too. Press play for your first look at the potential future of neuropsychiatric therapy.