GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) initiates a new project with the Department of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Titled: The Cannabis Metabolomics (“Canna-bolomics”) Project, the program will analyze each of GB Sciences’ cultivars to determine whether additional molecules in these cultivars, and hundreds of other natural cannabis and hemp cultivars, show significant promise to treat diseases.
“GB Sciences is widening the lens with which we observe and characterize plant-based, cannabis-derived chemical mixtures for human therapies starting from GB Sciences’ stock genotypes. Standard potency assays in Nevada only measure about ten cannabinoids and twenty-one terpenoids, whereas, metabolomic analyses allow us to measure all of the molecules in these mixtures to identify new compounds that potentially provide additional medical benefits for new patent-pending therapeutic mixtures,” explains Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, Chief Science Officer of GB Sciences. “In addition, we will look for disease-modifying compounds in other Cannabis genotypes using both functional assays and full metabolomic studies performed in parallel between GB Sciences and the University of Athens, respectively. Together, we can make better medicines that capitalize on the diversity of the biology of the plant.”
GB Sciences’ current research efforts has yielded multiple patent applications containing novel cannabinoid-containing complex mixtures (CCCM™) composed of cannabinoids and terpenoids that work synergistically. While the complex mixtures in GB Sciences current patent applications show clinical promise, GB Sciences had been limited in defining the formulations by their current method of measuring the secondary metabolites using third-party testing labs in Nevada.
Professor Leandros Skaltsounis, Director of Pharmacognosy and Natural Products Chemistry of the University of Athens says, “The University of Athens welcomes this very important collaboration. In fact, this is our first international collaboration in this extremely important field. This project will increase our knowledge on chemical composition and enable us to better select the appropriate cannabis compounds to develop the next generation of therapeutic medicines.”
John Poss, CEO and Chairman of GB Sciences says, “GB Sciences is excited about our new Canna-bolomics Project with the University of Athens. The potential for metabolomics methods to expand our formulations and improve the efficacy of our cannabis-based human therapies could bring our cannabis-based drug discovery efforts to the next level.”
“This announcement is an important moment for medical cannabis research and Greece’semerging cannabis industry,” said Annie Camarioti, co-founder of the Athens-based cannabis consultancy Medicanna, “The collaboration brings together GB Sciences’ unparalleled cannabinoid expertise with the University of Athens’ extraordinary faculty. It’s a vital new chapter for cannabis research and for our country.”
