Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI) is an organization developing novel

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

and

entactogen Entactogens, also known as empathogens or connectogens, are a class of psychoactive drugs that induce the production of experiences of emotional communion, oneness, connectedness, emotional openness—that is, empathy—as particularly observe ...

drug A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

s as potential

pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

s, among other activities. Its goal is to advance the scientific work and legacy of psychedelic chemist Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin and to complete his unfinished projects. The ASRI was informally established by Alexander Shulgin in the 1980s. However, discussions to formally establish the institute began shortly after Shulgin's passing in 2014. The organization was formally incorporated on April 19th, 2021, Bicycle Day, by

Ann Shulgin Laura Ann Shulgin ( Gotlieb; March 22, 1931 – July 9, 2022) was an American author and the wife of chemist Alexander Shulgin, with whom she wrote ''PiHKAL'' and '' TiHKAL''. Life and career Laura Ann Gotlieb Detailed biography of Ann Shulgin ...

, the late widow of Alexander Shulgin, and by psychedelic chemists and longtime Shulgin research colleagues Paul Daley and Nicholas Cozzi. Cozzi was the organization's first president between 2020 and 2025. He was succeeded by Daley in March 2025. As of April 2025, ASRI has filed and/or been granted several

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

s covering various

ic and

compounds. Shulgin himself was not averse to

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

(IP) protection and held

s for drugs such as DOM,

DOET 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-ethylamphetamine (DOET) is a psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and DOx families. It is closely related to DOM and is a synthetic analogue of the naturally occurring phenethylamine psychedelic mescaline. The ...

Ariadne In Greek mythology, Ariadne (; ; ) was a Cretan princess, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape from the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of N ...

, and

methylone Methylone, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-''N''-methylcathinone (MDMC), is an entactogen and stimulant drug of the amphetamine, cathinone, and benzodioxole families related to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy"). It is th ...

. Pharmaceutical candidates under development at ASRI include

ASR-3001 ASR-3001, also known as 5-methoxy-''N''-allyl-''N''-isopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-iPALT), is a serotonin receptor agonist and serotonergic psychedelic of the tryptamine and 5-methoxytryptamine families which is under development for the treatment of ...

(5-MeO-iPALT; a "second-generation, fast-acting tryptamine" said to produce an internal psychedelic state without sensory or visual disturbances) and

ASR-2001 ASR-2001, also known as 2CB-5PrO or as 4-bromo-2-methoxy-5-propoxyphenethylamine, is a non-hallucinogenic serotonin receptor agonist of the phenethylamine, 2C, and TWEETIO families which is under development for the treatment of psychiatric dis ...

(2CB-5PrO; a phenethylamine-based non-hallucinogenic serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor agonist). XOB (ASR-6001), a drug invented by Cozzi, is a dual-action

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

5-HT_2A receptor

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.voltage-gated sodium channel Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), also known as voltage-dependent sodium channels (VDSCs), are a group of voltage-gated ion channels found in the membrane of excitable cells (''e.g.'', muscle, glial cells, neurons, etc.) with a permeability t ...

blocker. ASRI has more than 500compounds in its collection, many of which were originally developed by Shulgin. A related initiative is the Alexander Shulgin Archiving Project (or The Shulgin Archive), which is a co-project with

Erowid Erowid, also called Erowid Center, is a non-profit educational organization that provides information about psychoactive plants and chemicals. Erowid documents legal and illegal substances, including their intended and adverse effects. Inform ...

that began by 2007. An earlier group preceding the ASRI was "Team Shulgin", which was formed by 2010 and comprised Alexander and Ann Shulgin, Ann Shulgin's daughter Wendy Tucker (the editor of ''

PiHKAL ''PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story'' is a book by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin published in 1991. The subject of the work is Psychoactive drug, psychoactive phenethylamine Derivative (chemistry), chemical derivatives, notably those that act ...

'' and ''

TiHKAL ''TiHKAL: The Continuation'' is a 1997 book written by Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin about a family of psychoactive drugs known as tryptamines. A sequel to '' PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story'', ''TiHKAL'' is an acronym that stands for "Trypt ...

'' and the head of

Transform Press Transform Press is a small publishing company in the area of psychedelics and other psychoactive drugs that is based in Berkeley, California.In Memoriam Ann Shulgin, Forerunner of Today’s Psychedelic Re-Emergence, Dies at 91. MAPS Bulletin: Spec ...

), Paul Daley, Tania Manning, and Greg Manning.

Selected publications

* *

References

{{Reflist

External links

Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI) - Official website

Alexander Shulgin Research Institute - Google Patents

What Happens When You Inherit 500 Psychedelic Compounds? - Double Blind Magazine
Alexander Shulgin Pharmaceutical companies of the United States Psychedelic drug research Psychedelic pharmaceutical companies

Selected publications

See also

References

External links