Alaina Jaster, PhD
@jasteralaina.bsky.social
PhD in PharmTox. Head of Communications at Xylo Bio. Drug policy + harm reduction 🤘Education & Consulting via https://www.psychedelicbrainscience.com
Opinions do not reflect those of my employer.
Opinions do not reflect those of my employer.
Pinned
Sex-specific role of the 5-HT2A receptor in psilocybin-induced extinction of opioid reward - Nature Communications
Here Jaster et al., show a single psilocybin dose produce sex-specific post-acute changes in opioid reward and withdrawal via 5-HT2A receptors in frontal cortex-to–nucleus accumbens circuits, with epi...
www.nature.com
My dissertation paper finally dropped in Nature Communications!
Overall, the conclusion is that psilocybin may be useful in reducing drug craving that often precipitates relapse through mechanisms related to 5-HT2A activation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Overall, the conclusion is that psilocybin may be useful in reducing drug craving that often precipitates relapse through mechanisms related to 5-HT2A activation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
If you have time to doom scroll, you have time to read books!
January 6, 2026 at 10:26 PM
If you have time to doom scroll, you have time to read books!
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
The district court injunction that prevented NIH from capping indirects at 15% was upheld today on appeal!
www.reuters.com/world/trump-...
www.reuters.com/world/trump-...
Trump administration cannot slash NIH research funding, court rules
District Judge Angel Kelley last year blocked the cuts, and on Monday the appeals court agreed.
www.reuters.com
January 6, 2026 at 1:09 AM
The district court injunction that prevented NIH from capping indirects at 15% was upheld today on appeal!
www.reuters.com/world/trump-...
www.reuters.com/world/trump-...
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
January 3, 2026 at 3:34 PM
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
No cheating. Reskeet with the most recent picture of your pet
January 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM
No cheating. Reskeet with the most recent picture of your pet
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.
January 3, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.
Just found out my blood type!! B negative!! I knew I was special but that seals the deal 😹
January 2, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Just found out my blood type!! B negative!! I knew I was special but that seals the deal 😹
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
Postdoctoral fellowship available in structure guided drug discovery in @RothLabUNC
Please RT
Please RT
December 27, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Postdoctoral fellowship available in structure guided drug discovery in @RothLabUNC
Please RT
Please RT
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
When you say that “only the sick kids die from the measles”… you’re telling sick and disabled people that they’re expendable.
You’re telling them their lives don’t matter.
That vaccinating to protect them is too high a price.
That’s eugenics.
Also, healthy kids die from measles too.
You’re telling them their lives don’t matter.
That vaccinating to protect them is too high a price.
That’s eugenics.
Also, healthy kids die from measles too.
December 29, 2025 at 5:21 AM
When you say that “only the sick kids die from the measles”… you’re telling sick and disabled people that they’re expendable.
You’re telling them their lives don’t matter.
That vaccinating to protect them is too high a price.
That’s eugenics.
Also, healthy kids die from measles too.
You’re telling them their lives don’t matter.
That vaccinating to protect them is too high a price.
That’s eugenics.
Also, healthy kids die from measles too.
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
I don't want gen AI in my browser
I don't want gen AI in my pc
I don't want gen AI in my art
I don't want gen AI in my games
I don't want gen AI in my music
I don't want gen AI in my movies
I don't want gen AI in my books
I don't want gen AI in my cart
I don't want gen AI in my life
I don't want gen AI in my pc
I don't want gen AI in my art
I don't want gen AI in my games
I don't want gen AI in my music
I don't want gen AI in my movies
I don't want gen AI in my books
I don't want gen AI in my cart
I don't want gen AI in my life
December 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I don't want gen AI in my browser
I don't want gen AI in my pc
I don't want gen AI in my art
I don't want gen AI in my games
I don't want gen AI in my music
I don't want gen AI in my movies
I don't want gen AI in my books
I don't want gen AI in my cart
I don't want gen AI in my life
I don't want gen AI in my pc
I don't want gen AI in my art
I don't want gen AI in my games
I don't want gen AI in my music
I don't want gen AI in my movies
I don't want gen AI in my books
I don't want gen AI in my cart
I don't want gen AI in my life
My 2025 wrapped in books!! I completed my 52 book goal this year. Anyone else read these?
Top 10:
1. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
2. Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews
3. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
4. Grey Dog by Elliot Gish
5. Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
Top 10:
1. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
2. Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews
3. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
4. Grey Dog by Elliot Gish
5. Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
December 26, 2025 at 11:02 PM
My 2025 wrapped in books!! I completed my 52 book goal this year. Anyone else read these?
Top 10:
1. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
2. Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews
3. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
4. Grey Dog by Elliot Gish
5. Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
Top 10:
1. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
2. Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews
3. The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
4. Grey Dog by Elliot Gish
5. Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hanna
“Today the land is dotted with towns, cities, suburbs and the like. Yet very few of these political subdivisions are in fact communities. They are rather transitory locations for the temporary existence of wage earners.”
- God is Red
- God is Red
December 26, 2025 at 3:34 PM
“Today the land is dotted with towns, cities, suburbs and the like. Yet very few of these political subdivisions are in fact communities. They are rather transitory locations for the temporary existence of wage earners.”
- God is Red
- God is Red
My first Yule Log!!!
December 23, 2025 at 9:43 PM
My first Yule Log!!!
Happy first day of Yuletide & the Winter Solstice for those who celebrate ❤️❄️
December 22, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Happy first day of Yuletide & the Winter Solstice for those who celebrate ❤️❄️
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
NIH funding is like pizza 🍕. Usually, the NIH gives many researchers a slice of the pie, but this year they decided to just give a few researchers the whole pie. The data show that, disproportionately, early career researchers went hungry. We need Congress to stop NIH multi-year funding mandates.
A Trump administration change to how the National Institutes of Health awards grants has sharply reduced early-stage investigators’ odds of securing funding, new data from the agency show. Teamed up with @aniloza.bsky.social for this @statnews.com story
www.statnews.com/2025/12/18/n...
www.statnews.com/2025/12/18/n...
NIH funding rates for early-career researchers plunged in 2025, new data show
A Trump administration change to how NIH awards grants has sharply reduced early-stage investigators’ odds of securing funding.
www.statnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM
NIH funding is like pizza 🍕. Usually, the NIH gives many researchers a slice of the pie, but this year they decided to just give a few researchers the whole pie. The data show that, disproportionately, early career researchers went hungry. We need Congress to stop NIH multi-year funding mandates.
Dying my hair blue again to cope brb
December 19, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Dying my hair blue again to cope brb
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
Had the three Dems who voted for this held the line and voted no, they could have blocked it.
December 18, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Had the three Dems who voted for this held the line and voted no, they could have blocked it.
The end of year Xylo Bio Newsletter “Neurotherapeutics: Designing What’s Next” is live!
We dive into clinical trials in neuropsychiatry, developments in the last 10 years and what we’re doing at Xylo to make novel therapeutics that are effective and mechanism-forward.
www.xylo.bio/blog-posts/d...
We dive into clinical trials in neuropsychiatry, developments in the last 10 years and what we’re doing at Xylo to make novel therapeutics that are effective and mechanism-forward.
www.xylo.bio/blog-posts/d...
www.xylo.bio
December 17, 2025 at 8:19 PM
The end of year Xylo Bio Newsletter “Neurotherapeutics: Designing What’s Next” is live!
We dive into clinical trials in neuropsychiatry, developments in the last 10 years and what we’re doing at Xylo to make novel therapeutics that are effective and mechanism-forward.
www.xylo.bio/blog-posts/d...
We dive into clinical trials in neuropsychiatry, developments in the last 10 years and what we’re doing at Xylo to make novel therapeutics that are effective and mechanism-forward.
www.xylo.bio/blog-posts/d...
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
We’ve got a very cool guest that will be our first episode of January 2026!
He’s a musician, harm reductionist, psychedelic advocate, former heroin user, and so much more.
He was featured on This American Life, among other media.
Can you make a guess? 👀
Stay tuned for release on 1/5!!
He’s a musician, harm reductionist, psychedelic advocate, former heroin user, and so much more.
He was featured on This American Life, among other media.
Can you make a guess? 👀
Stay tuned for release on 1/5!!
December 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
We’ve got a very cool guest that will be our first episode of January 2026!
He’s a musician, harm reductionist, psychedelic advocate, former heroin user, and so much more.
He was featured on This American Life, among other media.
Can you make a guess? 👀
Stay tuned for release on 1/5!!
He’s a musician, harm reductionist, psychedelic advocate, former heroin user, and so much more.
He was featured on This American Life, among other media.
Can you make a guess? 👀
Stay tuned for release on 1/5!!
Have any of my academic friends applied for the ARPA-H EVIDENT program?
If so, I’d love to chat with you for a story I’m working on about how it could impact the industry.
Feel free to DM or reply to this post!
If so, I’d love to chat with you for a story I’m working on about how it could impact the industry.
Feel free to DM or reply to this post!
December 16, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Have any of my academic friends applied for the ARPA-H EVIDENT program?
If so, I’d love to chat with you for a story I’m working on about how it could impact the industry.
Feel free to DM or reply to this post!
If so, I’d love to chat with you for a story I’m working on about how it could impact the industry.
Feel free to DM or reply to this post!
The violence we’ve seen in the news over the last 3 days is horrible.
Gun violence across the globe targeting students and Jewish folks, for no reason except hatred. My heart goes out to the families and those in the communities whose lives have been altered forever.
Hold your loved ones close.
Gun violence across the globe targeting students and Jewish folks, for no reason except hatred. My heart goes out to the families and those in the communities whose lives have been altered forever.
Hold your loved ones close.
December 15, 2025 at 10:26 PM
The violence we’ve seen in the news over the last 3 days is horrible.
Gun violence across the globe targeting students and Jewish folks, for no reason except hatred. My heart goes out to the families and those in the communities whose lives have been altered forever.
Hold your loved ones close.
Gun violence across the globe targeting students and Jewish folks, for no reason except hatred. My heart goes out to the families and those in the communities whose lives have been altered forever.
Hold your loved ones close.
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
"We can name harm without condemning people, and we can call for accountability without resorting to punishment."
"When we do that, we make space for policies and practices that are rooted in care and not in control."
#Michigan #USA #Drugs #Policing #SexWork
"When we do that, we make space for policies and practices that are rooted in care and not in control."
#Michigan #USA #Drugs #Policing #SexWork
Drug Policy Reform Movement Renews Fight Against Authoritarianism
Despite the cold, the Drug Policy Alliance's biennial Reform conference vibrated with excitement as approximately 1,800 people filed into the Detroit venue November 12.
filtermag.org
December 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
Listen, all I’m saying is that I’ve seen more pictures of Donald Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein than I have of Donald Trump playing with his son Barron.
December 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Listen, all I’m saying is that I’ve seen more pictures of Donald Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein than I have of Donald Trump playing with his son Barron.
I wrote about the intersections of the war on drugs, authoritarianism and lived experience - all of which were discussions at the 2025 Reform conference - via @filtermag.bsky.social 😎
"While leaders characterized the current moment as unlike other times, they insisted—evoking the history of the drug policy reform movement—that the momentum renewed in Detroit would outlast the democratic backslide."
@jasteralaina.bsky.social reports:
@jasteralaina.bsky.social reports:
Drug Policy Reform Movement Renews Fight Against Authoritarianism - Filter
Despite the cold, the Drug Policy Alliance’s biennial Reform conference vibrated with excitement as approximately 1,800 people filed into the ...
filtermag.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I wrote about the intersections of the war on drugs, authoritarianism and lived experience - all of which were discussions at the 2025 Reform conference - via @filtermag.bsky.social 😎
Reposted by Alaina Jaster, PhD
Really excited to have this come out. I was super fortunate to work on this with some amazing folks. Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The need to incorporate polysubstance use in neuropsychopharmacology research: biological lessons and new opportunities
Critical evaluation and refinement of animal models is essential for neuroscientists to understand complex physiological and pathological processes re…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Really excited to have this come out. I was super fortunate to work on this with some amazing folks. Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...