We are immensely proud to announce that NRU PhD-student Drummond McCulloch has been awarded the Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize 2024.
With this prize, The Lundbeck Foundation seeks to celebrate talented young scientists who are dedicated and passionate about research. The prize is DKK 300.000, and the amount is split between a personal prize of DKK 100.00 and DKK 200.000 for research activities.
In the official nomination, Gitte Moos Knudsen and Patrick Fisher provided the following statement about Drummond's talent and examples of his role in and contribution to original scientific achievements:
Drummond McCulloch’s work focuses on using neuroimaging techniques to develop understanding of mechanisms of action of psychoactive compounds. With a background in drug development, his ultimate goal is to use this understanding to develop novel therapeutics for treating psychiatric and neurological disorders. Inspired by the transformative potential of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin for those suffering from treatment-resistant depression and cluster headaches, he has dedicated his career to deepening the scientific understanding of these compounds.
Drummond is driven to increase site-wide collaboration and enhance replicability in the field of neuroscience. In order to further this goal, he has worked closely with the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), as scientific secretary of the Psychedelic Transnosological Working
Group and in communication with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). He has authored two papers highlighting key knowledge gaps in the field of psychedelic medicalisation with the ECNP and one Lancet commentary with the EMA on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics from a regulatory perspective. Furthermore, he coordinated a consensus paper with major groups evaluating the acute effects of psychedelics on functional brain activity, setting guidelines for future research. This paper was published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews, and presented at several conferences through oral
presentations to increase field-wide approval of the initiative. Drummond is also the head of the ECNP Psychedelic Early Career Researchers group and has been involved in organising several events to bring together young researchers to foster international collaboration.
During this process, he identified a key area in the field showing promise for elucidating the neural effects of psychedelics but lacking scientific rigour. Specifically, the acute effects on 'brain entropy'. Twelve papers have attempted to quantify the acute effects of psychedelics on functional brain entropy, each using different and not clearly related methods. Dissatisfied with such heterogeneity, he embarked on an ambitious project to replicate the methods applied in twelve different papers using data he helped to collect where participants were given high doses of psilocybin and underwent fMRI brain scans several times during the psychedelic effects. Collaborating with a mathematician, he created the 'Copenhagen Brain-Entropy Toolbox' (CopBET), combining neuroscience, information theory, and pharmacology. The results showed that certain brain-entropy metrics were strongly related to psychedelic drug effects, while others were not. Additionally, there was limited correlation between these metrics despite being presented as convergent. This offered a nuanced insight into how psychedelics work in the brain.
Additionally, CopBET is now openly available on GitHub and can be easily applied to new datasets, enhancing replication in the field. This project has been well received, leading to invitations to present and teach at conferences and workshops across Europe, and CopBET has been adopted by research sites across Europe and North America.
Drummond has set up and now coordinates two clinical trials focused on understanding the neurological basis behind the acute and persisting effects of psychedelic drugs in the human brain. The first project evaluates the acute effects of LSD. This project leverages simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess target engagement of LSD at serotonin receptors in the brain while measuring changes in brain function by evaluating effects on blood flow, metabolic demand, and neurotransmitter levels. This project is the first study in Scandinavia to administer LSD to humans since the 1970s and the first ever to administer LSD in a PET scanner, let alone with simultaneous functional brain imaging.
The second project builds on some of Drummond’s previous work showing that psychedelics like psilocybin can have long-lasting positive effects on wellbeing, even in healthy volunteers. In order to investigate the neurological basis for this remarkable effect, Drummond has set up a deep-phenotyping study, recruiting 120 healthy adults who have never had a psychedelic experience. Participants undergo cutting-edge functional brain imaging, neuropsychological testing, questionnaires, and fluid biomarker sampling before and after a high dose of psilocybin or placebo to evaluate the persisting effects of psilocybin and identify baseline characteristics that predict positive outcomes. In close collaboration with medical doctors, this project also closely monitors any potential acute and persisting adverse effects of psilocybin, providing valuable information for the future of precision psychedelic medicine by evaluating whether these can be predicted using baseline phenotyping.
Drummond’s research in neuroimaging and psychoactive compounds has significantly advanced our understanding of these areas. His work on the Copenhagen Brain-Entropy Toolbox and leading clinical trials highlights his dedication to scientific progress and collaboration. By promoting international cooperation and ensuring scientific rigour, Drummond has made meaningful contributions to the field of psychedelic medicine. These efforts demonstrate his alignment with the goals of the Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize, making him a strong candidate for this award.