Research

Boston Psychedelic Research Group — McLean Hospital

Research Institution in Belmont, Massachusetts

The Boston Psychedelic Research Group at McLean Hospital (Harvard Medical School affiliate) is one of the most active academic psilocybin research programs on the East Coast. Led by Dr. Eli Kaplan (MD, PhD), the group runs FDA-registered clinical trials of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, OCD, and alcohol use disorder, with a particular focus on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying therapeutic response. McLean's research infrastructure — including neuroimaging facilities, an established inpatient psychiatric unit, and long-standing IRB relationships — enables trial designs that community-based research organizations cannot execute. Current enrolling trials include a psilocybin-for-OCD study replicating and extending the Moreno et al. 2006 work, and a mechanistic neuroimaging study examining DMN connectivity changes as predictors of therapeutic outcome. Massachusetts does not have a regulated psilocybin access program as of 2026. Ballot initiatives are in development; advocates expect a 2027 or 2028 vote. In the interim, clinical trial participation is the only legal psilocybin access pathway in the state. Trial participation is free for qualifying participants.