Alexa Torrens Miears
Biography
Alexa Torrens Miears is an Assistant Specialist and Lab Manager in the Piomelli Lab at the University of California, Irvine, where she has worked since February 2019. She is currently pursuing an M.S. in Pharmacology at UCI, with an expected completion date of June 2025. Torrens Miears received her B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of California, Riverside in 2018. Her research focuses on cannabinoid pharmacology, particularly the pharmacokinetics of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in adolescent and adult animal models.
In her role at the Piomelli Lab, Torrens Miears has established a fee-for-service analytics program for external customers, including pharmaceutical and contract research organizations, generating over $50,000 in revenue for the lab in six months. She manages laboratory operations, including supply and animal orders, training materials development, and chemical inventory oversight. As the lab's Designated Safety on Site Officer, she develops and maintains standard operating procedures for hazardous materials and equipment. Her research involves designing and executing experiments on THC pharmacokinetics, preparing and analyzing samples by LC-MS/MS, and performing RNA extraction and qPCR analyses.
Torrens Miears has authored or co-authored eleven peer-reviewed publications in journals including Neuropsychopharmacology, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, and Pharmacological Research. She has presented her research at multiple International Cannabinoid Research Society meetings and NIH Center of Excellence symposia. She received the Rosalind Franklin Society Special Award in Science from Mary Ann Liebert Inc. in 2023 and has been recognized with multiple trainee travel awards and presentation awards from the International Cannabinoid Research Society.
Return to topEducation
- B.S. in Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, 2018
- M.S. in Pharmacology, University of California, Irvine, 2025
Distinctions
- Highlighted Trainee Author, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2020
- Student Presentation Award, International Cannabinoid Research Society, 2022
- Rosalind Franklin Society Special Award in Science, Mary Ann Liebert Inc., 2023
- Cum Laude, UCR, 2018
Areas of Expertise
- Cannabinoid Pharmacology
- Tetrahydrocannabinol Pharmacokinetics
- Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry
- Endocannabinoid System Biology
- Adolescent Cannabis Exposure Effects
- Aerosol Drug Delivery
- Sex-Dependent Metabolic Differences
Recent Publications
- Pabon E., Baglot S.L., Eversole A., Fong T., Hampilos K., Hilger A., Lake S., Murray C.H., Arout C.A., Haney M., Tran A., Torrens A., Piomelli D., Cooper Z.D., “Cannabis use patterns and perception of acute pain during brief abstinence: sex-dependent associations with circulating cannabinoid levels” (opens in new tab), Psychopharmacology, 2026.
- M.T. Goodman, C. Lombardi, A. Torrens, “Association of Serum Endocannabinoid Levels with Pancreatitis and Pancreatitis-Related Pain” (opens in new tab), Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 60-70, 2025.
- A. Torrens, A. Mabou Tagne, A. Tran, F. Ahmed, M.A. Huestis, D. Piomelli, “Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Adolescent and Adult Female Mice” (opens in new tab), Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1537-1542, 2024.
- Ahmed F., Torrens A., Mahler S.V., Ferlenghi F., Huestis M.A., Piomelli D., “A Sensitive Ultrahigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Simultaneous Analysis of Phytocannabinoids and Endocannabinoids in Plasma and Brain” (opens in new tab), Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, vol. 9, pp. 371-385, 2024.
- L. Lin, K.M Jung, J. Le, G. Colleluori, C. Wood, H.L. Lee, F. Palese, E.N Squire, S. Su, A. Torrens, “Adolescent exposure to low-dose thc disrupts energy balance and adipose organ homeostasis in adulthood” (opens in new tab), Cell Metabolism, vol. 35, pp. 1227-1241, 2023.
- A. Torrens, “Nasal Accumulation and Metabolism of Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol Following Aerosol ('Vaping') Administration in Adolescent Rats” (opens in new tab), Pharmacological Research, vol. 187, pp. 106600, 2023.
- H. L. Lee, K. M. Jung, Y. Fotio, E. Squire, F. Palese, L. Lin, A. Torrens, “Frequent low-dose Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in adolescence disrupts microglia homeostasis and disables responses to microbial infection and social stress in young adulthood” (opens in new tab), Biological psychiatry, vol. 92, no. 11, pp. 845-860, 2022.
- F. Palese, S. Pontis, N. Realini, A. Torrens, “Targeting NAAA counters dopamine neuron loss and symptom progression in mouse models of parkinsonism” (opens in new tab), Pharmacological research, vol. 182, pp. 106338, 2022.
- L. Lin, A. Mabou Tagne, E.N. Squire, H.L. Lee, Y. Fotio, J. Ramirez, M. Zheng, A. Torrens, “Diet-induced obesity disrupts histamine-dependent oleoylethanolamide signaling in the mouse liver” (opens in new tab), Pharmacology, vol. 107, no. 7-8, pp. 423-432, 2022.
- A. Torrens, “Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Properties of Aerosolized ("Vaped") THC in Adolescent Male and Female Rats” (opens in new tab), Psychopharmacology, vol. 238, no. 12, pp. 3595–3605, 2021.
- A. Torrens, “Pharmacokinetic, Behavioral, and Brain Activity Effects of Δ⁹-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Adolescent Male and Female Rats” (opens in new tab), Neuropsychopharmacology, vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 959–969, 2021.
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Last updated on 5/19/2026.