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A London drugs scientist is planning to launch hangover-free cocktails which will have the same effect as alcohol without leaving the drinker feeling unwell the next day.

Professor David Nutt has spent the last ten years experimenting with substances that mimic the effects of alcohol on the brain but do not harm the liver.

And he is now seeking funding for the final round of tests before embarking on his plan to open more than 100 hangover-free cocktail bars in the next decade.

According to The Times, Professor Nutt – who teaches at Imperial College London - and his team have narrowed their testing down to five compounds.

They are planning on submitting these to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) but believe there is early evidence to suggest they are fit for human consumption.

“I’ve been working in this field since 2005 without any [commercial] success,” Professor Nutt told The Times. “So a couple of years ago I started working with business people who explained that I would have to get investors.

“We formed this company to explore a range of alcohol alternatives. The current plan is development as a foodstuff. We would hope to take this through the FSA to conform with the levels of safety and toxicology criteria for a food ingredient. It’s never been done before. We’re ploughing a very new field.”

He said one major advantage of this synthetic alcohol was that it could be adapted for each customer so they could remain at a constant but safe level of intoxication.

He added that it would not cause a build-up of acetaldehyde which is broken down in the liver, causing the symptoms of a hangover.

Professor Nutt, 66, specialises in the research of how drugs affect the brain and has campaigned for a change in the current drug laws to enable more research.

In 2009, he was dismissed from his post as head of the Advisory Council of the Misuse of Drugs after saying about alcohol and tobacco were more dangerous than LSD, ecstasy or cannabis.