Spring 2025 Grantee Highlight:
Dalibor Sames

Dalibor Sames, PhD
Professor, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University

Ibogaine may reprogram brain energy metabolism to support its unique neuro-restorative effects. Researchers from the Sames and Picard laboratories at Columbia University are investigating this possibility by mapping mitochondrial function across brain regions—creating the first brain atlas of mitochondrial networks activated by ibogaine.

Ibogaine is a oneirogenic compound (known to induce dream-like states) derived from the Tabernanthe iboga shrub. It has shown therapeutic promise for conditions including opioid use disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. In prior work supported by The Mathers Foundation, the Sames lab identified the key pharmacophore responsible for ibogaine’s complex pharmacology, distinguishing it from classic tryptamine psychedelics (Nature, 2024: Structural pharmacology and therapeutic potential of 5-methoxytryptamines – PMC)

Now, with a new grant from The Mathers Foundation, the Sames lab has partnered with Dr. Martin Picard’s group to pursue a different research direction—testing whether ibogaine’s therapeutic effects are mediated through reprogramming of brain mitochondrial metabolism. Experiments will involve healthy rodents, models of alcohol-induced social deficits, and animals showing behavioral restoration following ibogaine treatment.