The New York State Psychiatric Institute has suspended all of its human research trials as federal regulators probe whether safety protocols were violated after a participant in a Parkinson’s drug study killed himself.

The research center, which is affiliated with Columbia University, halted at least 417 studies with human subjects in early June as the US Department of Health and Human Services launched its investigation, the federal agency confirmed to The Post Friday.

The inquiry, which is being led by the agency’s Office for Human Research Protections and was first reported by Spectrum, came after the suicide of a man who was participating in a clinical trial led by Dr. Bret R. Rutherford, an associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.

Rutherford’s study was testing whether the drug levodopa, which is typically used to treat Parkinson’s disease, could be used as a treatment for depression for older people.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the study participant died.

The institute’s director of communications, Carla Cantor, declined to comment on the reported suicide, citing state and federal health privacy laws that prevent them from providing information about research participants.

“The New York State Psychiatric Institute’s top priority is the health and safety of individuals engaged in our award-winning research programs,” Cantor said in a statement, adding that the center had “voluntarily paused” human trials two weeks before the federal order was issued.

A HHS spokesperson confirmed the investigation into the institute was underway and that the agency had “restricted its ability to conduct HHS-supported human subject research.”

“The Office for Human Research Protections is committed to protecting the rights, welfare, and well-being of people who participate in research conducted by or supported by HHS,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“OHRP takes very seriously the protection of people who volunteer for research studies and has procedures to ensure that those protections are in place.”

Prior to the widespread suspension of all human research trials, the institute had almost 500 studies underway with budgets — mostly supported by the federal government — totaling $86 million, according to the center’s website.

Rutherford, the head researcher on the Parkinson’s study, resigned from his position at the institute on June 1 and was no longer a Columbia faculty member, Cantor said without elaborating further.

His study, which began in 2018, was temporarily suspended in January 2022 by the National Institute of Mental Health before being terminated in May this year, the New York Times reported.

Three medical journals have since run retractions tied to methodological errors in studies stemming from his laboratory.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.