The latest articles on DEV Community by Florian Lux (@florian_synapedia). https://dev.to/florian_synapedia https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3817730%2F3c4cf192-7771-401b-a143-f1c3b6e1a533.png https://dev.to/florian_synapedia en Florian Lux Wed, 11 Mar 2026 04:01:17 +0000 https://dev.to/florian_synapedia/building-synapedia-a-knowledge-graph-for-psychoactive-substances-12jl https://dev.to/florian_synapedia/building-synapedia-a-knowledge-graph-for-psychoactive-substances-12jl <h1> Building Synapedia: A Knowledge Graph for Psychoactive Substances </h1> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fc9rec5ehpn2bv1o5894p.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fc9rec5ehpn2bv1o5894p.png" alt=" " width="800" height="449"></a><br> Over the past months I’ve been building <strong>Synapedia</strong>, a structured knowledge platform for psychoactive substances.</p> <p>The motivation was simple:<br><br> Most information about pharmacology, effects and interactions is scattered across forums, research papers and community reports.</p> <p>Synapedia tries to turn this fragmented information into a <strong>structured knowledge system</strong>.</p> <p>You can explore the project here:</p> <p><a href="https://synapedia.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Synapedia</a></p> <h1> The Problem </h1> <p>Information about psychoactive substances exists in many places:</p> <p>• scientific papers<br><br> • harm reduction communities<br><br> • pharmacology databases<br><br> • experience reports </p> <p>But very rarely in a <strong>structured and interconnected way</strong>.</p> <p>For example:</p> <ul> <li>Which receptors does a substance interact with?</li> <li>Which effects are commonly reported?</li> <li>What interactions exist between substances?</li> </ul> <p>These relationships are often buried in text instead of being mapped as <strong>structured knowledge</strong>.</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1pf3qndw230r031r0enz.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1pf3qndw230r031r0enz.png" alt=" " width="800" height="449"></a></p> <h1> The Idea </h1> <p>Synapedia is built around the idea of a <strong>knowledge graph</strong> for psychoactive substances.</p> <p>Instead of isolated articles, the platform connects:</p> <ul> <li>substances</li> <li>effects</li> <li>receptors</li> <li>interactions</li> <li>experience reports</li> </ul> <p>This makes it possible to explore relationships between compounds in a much more intuitive way.</p> <h1> Example Features </h1> <p>The platform currently includes:</p> <h3> Substance profiles </h3> <p>Each substance has a structured profile including:</p> <p>• pharmacology<br><br> • receptor interactions<br><br> • effects<br><br> • harm reduction information </p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fuqk065fbdzwn7i3izh1z.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fuqk065fbdzwn7i3izh1z.png" alt=" " width="800" height="449"></a></p> <h3> Effects database </h3> <p>Effects are mapped across substances so you can explore patterns such as:</p> <ul> <li>stimulation </li> <li>euphoria </li> <li>visual effects </li> <li>sedation </li> </ul> <h3> Interaction data </h3> <p>Substance interactions are one of the most important harm-reduction topics.</p> <p>Synapedia aims to map:</p> <ul> <li>risky combinations</li> <li>pharmacological overlaps</li> <li>safety considerations</li> </ul> <h3> Experience reports </h3> <p>Community reports help capture subjective effects and timelines that scientific literature often doesn't cover.</p> <p>Synapedia integrates structured <strong>trip reports</strong> to complement the pharmacology data.</p> <h1> Tech Stack </h1> <p>The project is built with a fairly modern stack:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Next.js</strong></li> <li><strong>TypeScript</strong></li> <li><strong>Supabase</strong></li> <li><strong>PostgreSQL</strong></li> <li>structured data pipelines</li> <li>automated enrichment workflows</li> </ul> <p>The backend is designed to support a growing knowledge graph connecting substances, receptors, effects and reports.</p> <h1> The Goal </h1> <p>The long-term goal is to build a <strong>comprehensive open knowledge system</strong> for psychoactive substance research.</p> <p>Not as a recreational guide, but as a <strong>structured educational resource</strong> focused on:</p> <ul> <li>pharmacology</li> <li>safety</li> <li>harm reduction</li> <li>scientific data</li> </ul> <h1> Feedback Welcome </h1> <p>The project is still evolving quickly and I would love feedback from the developer and research community.</p> <p>If you're curious you can explore it here:</p> <p><a href="https://synapedia.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">synapedia - neuroscience - drugdatabase</a></p> neuroscience opensource nextjs pharmacology