Rayyan Zafar
Research Associate at Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London
Dr. Zafar has previously completed undergraduate studies in BSc Biomedical Sciences at Newcastle University (1st Class Hons), an MSc in Clinical Neuropsychiatry from Kings College London, IOPPN (Distinction) and a Ph.D. in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College after being awarded the Medical Research Council Doctoral Training 4 year fellowship (MRC DTP) from 2019-2023 supervised by Prof David Nutt, Dr David Erritzoe and Dr Matt Wall.
As a member of the Centre for Psychedelic Research and Neuropsychopharmacology group, his work focuses on multimodal neuroimaging investigations to investigate reward system dysfunction and develop novel therapeutics in substance use and behavioral addictions.
Zafar is currently leading the PsiloGambling study and psychedelic therapy for addiction clinical rese after being awarded a UKRI IAA grant. This grant will be used to investigate the first clinical and neuroimaging study of psilocybin therapy in gambling disorder along with members of the Imperial team and the study will form part of an Imperial enterprise biotechnology start-up initiative.
Rayyan is also a senior scientific officer at Drug Science (formally the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs) where he publishes scientific and policy reports as a member of the Medical Cannabis Working Group and the Medical Psychedelic Working Group.
Dr Zafar also provides consulting and scientific advisory services in the fields of psychiatry clinical trials, medical psychedelics, medical cannabis, and psychopharmacology. He is also available for comment in public media for scientific and medical commentary on addiction, psychiatry, and the science and therapeutic application of drugs.
Presentation: Psychedelic Therapy for Addiction: From Brain Mechanisms to Resurrected Treatments
Psychedelic therapy has witnessed a resurgence in interest in the last decade from the scientific and medical communities with evidence now building for its safety and efficacy in treating a range of psychiatric disorders including addiction. In this review we will chart the research investigating the role of these interventions in individuals with addiction beginning with an overview of the current socioeconomic impact of addiction, treatment options, and outcomes. I will start by examining historical studies from the first psychedelic research era of the mid-late 1900s, followed by an overview of the available real-world evidence gathered from naturalistic, observational, and survey-based studies. I will then cover modern-day clinical trials of psychedelic therapies in addiction from first-in-human to phase II clinical trials including an overview of the first clinical and mechanistic study of psilocybin therapy in gambling disorder. Finally, I will provide an overview of the different translational human neuropsychopharmacology techniques, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), that can be applied to foster a mechanistic understanding of therapeutic mechanisms. A more granular understanding of the treatment effects of psychedelics will facilitate the optimisation of the psychedelic therapy drug development landscape, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
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