NIMH Chemical Synthesis and Drug Supply Program

Mission

The mission of the Molecular, Cellular, and Genomic Neuroscience Research Branch (MCGNRB) of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is to support fundamental research on the mechanisms underlying and influencing brain development, neuronal signaling, synaptic plasticity, signal transduction pathways, and the biochemical and behavioral actions of therapeutic agents in animals and humans. The goals of the MCGNRB include the identification of novel targets (genes or molecules) for therapeutic intervention, characterization of the behavioral effects of psychoactive agents, and design and development of novel ligands for functional brain imaging in humans, psychoactive agents for basic and clinical research, and potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of mental disorders.

Since 1959, the NIMH Chemical Synthesis Program has synthesized and distributed novel research chemicals, psychoactive drugs, and compounds that are unavailable from commercial sources to the scientific community working on research relevant to mental health. The purpose of the present the NIMH Chemical Synthesis and Drug Supply Program is to synthesize, purify, and distribute otherwise unavailable essential compounds to stimulate basic and clinical research in psychopharmacology relevant to mental health in areas such as the molecular pharmacology and signaling of CNS receptors, longitudinal studies to evaluate the molecular, biochemical, and behavioral actions of psychoactive compounds, and functional brain imaging in both primates and humans. The NIMH has recently contracted with RTI International to operate the NIMH Chemical Synthesis and Drug Supply Program.