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Good news in cannabis research world is turning out to be often mixed news in many quarters.
We have no SCIENTIFIC problem with the fact that specialized medicines originating with cannabis will have to utilize technology to reach their full potential.
But we also hate to see attention being diverted from the development of "ethno-botanical" medicine where breeding and extraction and other techniques keep the process centered around the cannabis plant and not turning to patented, synthesized compounds owned by companies who can navigate the multi-billion, many year process of passing through FDA clinical trials which end up licensing "franchises" for medicines which can be exclusively sold at often ridiculous prices.
Especially to those who lack medication insurance.
This article – about the unique and strongly anti-inflammatory potential of two compounds naturally found in cannabis (and known about since 1985) – but only in tiny sub-clinical amounts is an "edge" case.
Will Cannaflavin A and B (which are NOT cannabinoids per se, but another kind of chemical) be produced mostly without the cannabis plant (and its entourage of co-cannabinoids), i.e., will it end up being mined like most pharmaceuticals, or can the the whole plant industry which has learned much about producing unheard amounts of THC and CBD for example, be able to rise to the challenge and produce high cannaflavin varietals in a full spectrum matrix….??
"[Research professor Tariq] Ahktar said that for decades researchers have been unable to research the medicinal properties of cannabis because of prohibition….
Ahktar said his team has demonstrated a biochemical pathway for commercial producers to allow the production of cannflavins A and B from yeast, bacteria, plants, or other means.
'…you don't have to grow huge fields of cannabis to obtain the benefits,' he said, noting that the Guelph researchers have patented the genes and licensed their research to Toronto-based Anahit International Corp., to biosynthesize those molecules.
The ability to 'hack' other plants or microorganisms to produce their medicinal compounds offers great potential benefits to science and industry. Dr. Jeff Chen, Director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, spoke about using biosynthesis as an alternative that is more scalable, consistent and continuous than plant farming to produce cannabinoids and other beneficial compounds.
Chen cautioned that science has a long way to go to find the most efficient method of producing the cannabinoids and other beneficial compounds.
Ahktar said he spoke with many patients who used cannabis successfully to treat a range of conditions and swore it improved their pain levels and reduced inflammation.
'That got me thinking that there is something else besides CBD contributing to these benefits and it didn't take me long to find Barrett's research,' he said. 'My primary focus is to help people with pain.'
Ahktar cautioned that 'we are a long way from being able to offer cannflavin products on store shelves. This is not my business or interest. I don't know if this would be marketed as a natural product or undergo clinical trials for drug testing'.”
Researchers Unlock What Gives Cannabis its Anti-Inflammatory Qualities
A new study deciphers for the first time the cannabis plant's biological blueprint for producing two molecules thought to have anti-inflammatory properties, a discovery that could pave the way for…
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