John H. Krystal, MD, Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Translational Research and professor of psychiatry, of neuroscience, and of psychology, and chair of the Yale Department of Psychiatry, has been named a recipient of the 2023 Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Krystal will share the award with colleagues Dennis Charney, MD, and Husseini Manji, MD. They are being honored for their discovery of the rapid antidepressant effects of ketamine and the identification of its efficacy for treatment-resistant depression.
That discovery led to the development of the antidepressant Esketamine, the first mechanistically novel U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antidepressant in over 50 years.
The award, which recognizes the scientists’ achievements with medals and $20,000, will be presented at NAM’s annual meeting on October 8. It is awarded annually to individuals, groups, or organizations that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving mental health.
Krystal said he is humbled to be honored.
“It is deeply meaningful to make a discovery that has improved the lives of so many people,” he said. “I have been moved by the many people treated with ketamine and Esketamine who have reached out to me to share their stories of recovery. This work began here at Yale, at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, a very special neuroscience and psychiatry community. I am particularly pleased to share this honor with my good friends and close colleagues, Drs. Dennis Charney and Husseini Manji.”
Krystal said his only regret is that the late Drs. Ronald S. Duman and George Aghajanian, who collaborated on studies of ketamine and whose work shed much light on the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic actions of the drug, could not be here to share in the celebration.
The researchers and their collaborators published their findings in 2000 in the journal Biological Psychiatry. They showed that ketamine was a rapid-acting antidepressant, producing improvement within hours of administration and high rates of clinical response within 24 hours of a single dose. This speed contrasts with standard antidepressants that produce clinical response only after weeks of treatment. The researchers also demonstrated ketamine was effective for treatment-resistant symptoms of depression.
In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved Esketamine, derived from ketamine, and administered as a nasal spray. The approval came after one study concluded seven in 10 patients who did not respond to other treatments improved on Esketamine.
Esktemine’s approval enabled the testing of other psychoactive drugs that have reached Phase III clinical trials, including psilocybin and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
Charney is Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean and professor in the departments of psychiatry, neuroscience, and pharmacological sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and president for academic affairs at Mount Sinai Health System. Manji is a professor at Oxford University, visiting professor at Duke University, and co-chair, U.K. Government Mental Health Mission.
Krystal, Charney, and Manji are members of the National Academy of Medicine, and each is a recipient of prestigious awards from the Anna-Monika Foundation, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
The Sarnat Prize is supported by an endowment created by Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat of Los Angeles. It recognizes achievements in basic science, clinical application, and public policy that lead to progress in the understanding, etiology, prevention, treatment, or cure of mental disorders, or to the promotion of mental health. As defined by the nominating criteria, the field of mental health encompasses neuroscience, psychology, social work, nursing, psychiatry, and advocacy.
The National Academy of Medicine is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond. It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the national and international community.