Scientists at UC Davis found a new way to make medicine. They shine ultraviolet (UV) light on simple building blocks called amino acids. The light changes these blocks into new chemicals.
The new chemicals can turn on a brain protein known as the serotonin 5‑HT2A receptor. This receptor helps brain cells grow and is a target for treating depression, PTSD, and drug addiction.
Usually, drugs that act on this receptor also cause hallucinations, like a psychedelic trip. The new chemicals did not make mice show the usual “head‑twitch” sign of hallucination.
To test many possibilities, the researchers used computer models. They checked how well 100 new compounds attached to the 5‑HT2A receptor. Five of them were strong, and one, called D5, worked the best.
Even though D5 fully activated the receptor, mice behaved normally. The scientists think other parts of the serotonin system might stop the hallucinogenic effect.
Future studies will explore why D5 and similar molecules do not cause hallucinations while still acting on the same brain target. This could lead to safer medicines for mental‑health problems.
The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Source Research Foundation.