Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI)

What Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI) does

The Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI) is a privately-held psychedelics discovery, development, and educational organization headquartered on the Shulgin family "Farm" property in Lafayette, California. Formally incorporated on April 19, 2021, ASRI continues the work of Dr. Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, the world's most prolific discoverer of psychoactive compounds, and operates with 1-10 employees. The institute specializes in de novo chemical synthesis, natural product isolation, and pharmacological testing of tryptamines, lysergamides, and phenylalkylamines, supported by advanced analytical instrumentation including GC/MS, LC/MS/MS, NMR, IR, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Its foundational asset is the Shulgin Vault, a proprietary library of approximately 500 compounds, many incompletely characterized or with unknown psychoactivity, that serves as a starting point for drug discovery. Discovery methodology incorporates pattern-guided, fragment-based, and AI-augmented drug design.

ASRI monetizes through a diversified mix: fee-for-service custom synthesis and analytical work, consulting and advisory services for academic, commercial, government, and legal clients, public education via seminars and conferences, compound supply to clinical researchers under DEA Schedule 1 licenses for Phase 1 and Phase 2 research, and intellectual property licensing/royalties. The institute's compounds have been used in FDA-approved clinical trials at Yale, NYU, University of Alabama, University of New Mexico, and University of Wisconsin, including the first FDA-approved study of low-dose psilocybin for cluster headache and an FDA-approved DMT study in major depressive disorder. Co-founders Dr. Nicholas V. Cozzi (President, Director of Pharmacology) and Dr. Paul F. Daley (Chief Science Officer) provide decades of expertise and direct continuity with Sasha Shulgin's work; Ann Shulgin is a founding incorporator. ASRI raised $7.2 million in seed financing in December 2021 led by Noetic Fund, and has secured four issued US patents (2024-2025) covering deuterated and fluorinated empathogens, asymmetric allyl tryptamines, and substituted alpha-ethyl phenylalkylamines. The 2024 discovery of XOB, a bifunctional 5-HT2A antagonist and sodium channel blocker with bipolar disorder potential, represents a step toward proprietary therapeutic development beyond the classical psychedelic supply model.

Name

Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI)

Legal name

Alexander Shulgin Research Institute

Website

https://shulginresearch.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ASRI is a Lafayette, California-based, privately-held psychedelics discovery, development, and educational organization that designs, synthesizes, and supplies novel psychoactive compounds to academic and clinical researchers, leveraging the proprietary Shulgin Vault of approximately 500 compounds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

RNA Therapeutics Platforms & Design (sequence design, target ID/validation, AI/bioinformatics) (HLAAADAG)

Keywords

• Psychedelic drug discovery
• Custom chemical synthesis
• Pharmaceutical research services
• Psychedelic compound supply
• Neuropsychopharmacology consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Lafayette

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Compound Supply: Supplying lead compounds to clinical researchers for Phase 1 and Phase 2 medical research, and to business partners for commercial development. Also supplies compounds to qualified scientists for basic preclinical studies.
2. Custom Chemical Syntheses and Analyses: Fee-for-service custom chemical synthesis and analytical services for academic, commercial, government, and legal clients.
3. Consulting and Advisory Services: Consulting and advisory services provided to academic, commercial, government, and legal clients on matters related to psychedelics, pharmacology, and regulatory compliance.
4. Public Education: Revenue from public education services including seminars, publications, conferences, podcasts, symposiums, and training programs.
5. Intellectual Property: Patents for new compounds and new uses for existing compounds to protect intellectual property, providing financial support for ASRI research.
6. Seed Financing: ASRI raised $7.2 million in Seed financing round in December 2021, providing capital for research and operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ASRI is a psychedelics discovery, development, and educational organization that designs and synthesizes novel psychoactive compounds, supplies high-purity psychedelics (including psilocybin, DMT, MDMA, lysergamides, tryptamines, and phenylalkylamines) for FDA-approved clinical and preclinical research, and provides custom synthesis, analytical characterization, and consulting services. Its core asset is the Shulgin Vault, a proprietary library of approximately 500 compounds previously synthesized by Dr. Alexander Shulgin and ASRI scientists.

Product overview

ASRI is a psychedelics discovery, development, and educational organization operating as a single unified research institute rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings center on psychedelic drug design and synthesis services, with the Shulgin Vault (approximately 500 compounds) as a foundational resource. Services include custom chemical syntheses and analyses, consulting/advisory services for various clients, and public education through seminars, publications, and conferences. Research spans from basic science (de novo synthesis, natural product isolation, pharmacological testing) to applied therapeutics targeting neurological, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric conditions. ASRI supplies compounds to clinical researchers for Phase 1 and Phase 2 medical research and holds patents on novel psychedelic derivatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Psychedelic Drug Discovery Services Core research offering involving de novo chemical synthesis, natural product isolation, and pharmacological testing of psychedelics to discover new therapeutic compounds.
• Custom Chemical Syntheses and Analyses Laboratory services providing custom synthesis and analytical characterization of psychedelic compounds for academic, commercial, government, and legal clients.
• Consulting and Advisory Services Expert consultation for academic, commercial, government, and legal clients on psychedelics, drug development, regulatory submissions, and intellectual property.
• Public Education Services Educational offerings including seminars, publications, conferences, podcasts, symposiums, and training programs on psychedelics and their therapeutic applications.
• The Shulgin Vault A collection of approximately 500 compounds previously synthesized by Sasha Shulgin and ASRI scientists, many incompletely characterized or with unknown psychoactivity, serving as a resource for drug discovery research.
• Applied Therapeutics Research Research focused on therapeutic applications including neurological conditions (stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury), neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD, autism), neuropsychiatric conditions, pain syndromes, inflammation, and wellness improvements (creativity, spirituality, cognitive enhancement).

Quantifiable outcome

• Psilocybin pulse regimen demonstrated efficacy in reducing cluster headache attack frequency in randomized controlled trial
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Scientific Advisory BoardcoreOthers · 12 June 2023ASRI announced formation of its Scientific Advisory Board composed of experts in neuropharmacology, analytical chemistry, psychiatry, clinical trials, drug development, and regulatory submissions.
• CaaMTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2022ASRI and CaaMTech announced collaboration to study novel compounds from the Shulgin Vault. Shulgin compounds are being studied by X-ray diffraction crystallography at Dr. David Manke's lab at UMass-Dartmouth. This partnership enables advanced structural characterization of compounds from the Shulgin Vault.
• UMass-Dartmouth (Dr. David Manke Lab)supportingTechnology or Integration · 6 July 2022X-ray diffraction crystallography studies of Shulgin Vault compounds conducted at Dr. David Manke's laboratory at UMass-Dartmouth as part of the CaaMTech collaboration.
• University of AlabamacoreOthersFDA-approved clinical research with psilocybin supplied by ASRI scientists conducted at University of Alabama.
• New York UniversitycoreOthersFDA-approved clinical research with psilocybin supplied by ASRI scientists conducted at NYU.
• University of New MexicocoreOthersFDA-approved clinical research with psilocybin supplied by ASRI scientists conducted at University of New Mexico.
• University of WisconsincoreOthersFDA-approved clinical research with psilocybin and DMT supplied by ASRI scientists conducted at University of Wisconsin.
• Yale UniversitycoreOthersFDA-approved clinical trials with psilocybin for cluster headache and DMT for Major Depressive Disorder, with compounds synthesized and provided by ASRI President Dr. Nicholas V. Cozzi.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CaaMTech: CaaMTech is a psychedelic drug-discovery research organization focused on characterizing novel compounds and AI-augmented design — a direct peer and existing collaboration partner of ASRI studying compounds from the Shulgin Vault together.
• Usona Institute: Usona Institute is a non-profit psychedelic research organization sponsoring psilocybin clinical trials for depression — a direct peer operating in the same academic-research supply and discovery niche as ASRI.
• Beckley Foundation: Beckley Foundation is a psychedelic research organization conducting and supporting clinical trials of psilocybin and other psychedelics — a direct peer in psychedelic drug discovery and clinical-trial sponsorship.
• MAPS / MAPS PBC: MAPS (and its for-profit arm MAPS PBC) is a psychedelic research and drug-development organization focused on MDMA-assisted therapy — directly comparable as a psychedelic R&D organization advancing Schedule 1 compounds through FDA trials.

Broad incumbents

• Compass Pathways: Compass Pathways is a clinical-stage psychedelic medicine company developing psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression; a broader incumbent in psychedelic drug development that competes for the same FDA clinical pathway ASRI supplies into.
• Mind Medicine (MindMed): MindMed is a clinical-stage psychedelic medicine company developing DMT and LSD-based therapies; a broader incumbent whose DMT clinical program directly competes with ASRI-supplied DMT trials at academic centers.
• GH Research: GH Research is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing mebufotenin (5-MeO-DMT) therapies for depression; a broader incumbent in psychedelic tryptamine development comparable to ASRI's tryptamine and DMT programs.
• atai Life Sciences: atai Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical platform developing psychedelic and non-psychedelic mental-health therapies; a broader incumbent and potential acquirer/partner of psychedelic drug-discovery assets like ASRI's pipeline.
• Cybin: Cybin is a clinical-stage psychedelic therapeutics company developing psilocybin and deuterated tryptamine analogs (CYB003) — directly relevant peer given ASRI's own deuterated empathogen patent.

Regional players

• Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research: The Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research is a leading academic psychedelic research center running FDA-relevant psilocybin trials — a comparable buyer/partner for ASRI-supplied compounds and a benchmark for academic psychedelic R&D.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asri-alexander-shulgin-research-institute

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alexander Shulgin Research Institute (ASRI)