U-M researchers conducted first human trials of ketamine

Author | Lauren Talley

Close-up of a nurse's hands holding a syringe of ketamine that she is attaching to IV tubing
Photo by Leisa Thompson

Before it was studied as a treatment for depression and chronic pain, scientists developed ketamine as a safer alternative to an earlier anesthetic, PCP.

In the 1960s, chemists at Detroit-based pharmaceutical company Parke-Davis reached out to U-M to study ketamine.

In 1965, U-M pharmacology professor emeritus Edward F. Domino and anesthesiology professor Guenter Corssen published results of the first human trial of ketamine. The 20 subjects had good blood pressure, respiration rate, and other vital signs. And the risk of death was significantly lower compared to other general anesthetics available at the time.

Domino and Corssen also collaborated on the first clinical trial of ketamine. They published results in 1966 showing ketamine was a safe anesthetic in the 130 subjects undergoing surgery. Because of its short-acting pain-relieving properties, ketamine became a widely-used battlefield anesthetic in the Vietnam War.

The subjects of the 1965 study were people incarcerated at Jackson State Prison. The study was overseen by an ethics committee, and in 2017 Domino said, “To this day, NIH guidelines for prison research are based on what happened here.”

Sources:
Garber, Ken. “Listening to Ketamine: An anesthetic with Michigan roots is pulling people from the depths of depression.” Ann Arbor Observer, November 2022

Denomme, Nicholas. “The Domino Effect: Ed Domino’s early studies of Psychoactive Drugs.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 50:4, 298-305,DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2018.1506599

Featured News & Stories Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
Tips for Hosting Allergy-Safe Holidays
Precautions are crucial — even lifesaving — when feeding guests with dietary restrictions. Simple strategies can help avoid issues at the dinner table.
close up of sensor
Health Lab
Stent sensor can warn of blockages in the bile duct
Currently, medical providers monitor biliary stent blockages through blood tests, meaning the problem must be significant enough for the body to notice. A sensor within the stent could enable doctors to recognize that bacterial sludge is accumulating and intervene before the patient begins to fall ill.
Female Urologist
Health Lab
A urologist explains women’s most common urological concerns — and how to treat them
Women with urological issue may not know how common — and treatable — they are, which keeps many from seeking proper care. But help is available.
Microscope
Health Lab
Nerve damage reduced in prediabetic mice with diet, exercise
A low calorie diet and high intensity exercise can reduce nerve damage in prediabetic mice, according to a Michigan Medicine study.
.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital aerial view
News Release
U-M Health Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital receives highest designation for Maternal Levels of Care
Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital in Ann Arbor verified to have the ability to handle even the most complex maternal care cases
Well-Being at Michigan Medicine podcast - a part of the Michigan Medicine Podcast Network.
Well-Being at Michigan Medicine
Introducing: Well-Being at Michigan Medicine
Well-being and how it brings teams together is so important. Michigan Medicine’s Chief Well-Being Officer, Elizabeth Harry, M.D., is bringing this topic, and many others, to audio life.