Katelyn Dial – Joan Jordano Scholar
1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate

Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology
Georgetown University

Research:
My research investigates how psychedelics work at a specific brain receptor called the serotonin 2A receptor to rapidly reverse the symptoms of depression. I focus on how activating this receptor changes structures called perineuronal nets, which normally restrict the brain’s ability to adapt and heal. By studying how psychedelics remodel these structures, my work aims to uncover new ways to make the brain more flexible and resilient, leading to faster and more lasting treatments for depression.

How Will Your Research Benefit Society?

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet current treatments are slow, unreliable, and often ineffective. My research aims to uncover how psychedelics promote rapid changes in brain flexibility by targeting specific molecular structures that control plasticity. By identifying new biological mechanisms that enable resilience against depression, my work could accelerate the development of faster, longer-lasting treatments offering hope to millions of individuals who do not respond to traditional therapies and reducing the global burden of mental illness.

How will an ARCS Award Benefit Your Research?

An ARCS award would provide critical funding to expand my research beyond traditional behavioral and biochemical approaches by enabling a highly innovative imaging component. With ARCS support, I could directly visualize how psychedelics remodel brain structures linked to depression in living animals, providing dynamic, cellular-level evidence that would significantly deepen the impact of my dissertation. This level of insight is otherwise unattainable due to the high costs of specialized mouse models, surgical procedures, and advanced imaging technology, making external funding essential to realizing the full potential of this project.

Career objectives:

My career objective is to become an independent scientist who advances our understanding of how brain plasticity mechanisms can be harnessed to treat mood disorders. I aim to lead research that not only develops faster, more durable therapies for depression, but also helps integrate science-based psychedelic treatments into mainstream psychiatric care. Beyond the laboratory, I am committed to using my platform as a researcher to advocate for evidence-driven mental health policy reform, ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into real-world improvements in healthcare access and outcomes.