Robert Celt
New Member
Just days after the launch of New York's medical marijuana program, the University at Buffalo has announced a new research initiative into medicinal cannabis in partnership with Citiva LLC.
With $1.65 million in funding from Citiva, UB's Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences will work to develop new approaches to advance the study of medicinal cannabis and lead to greater knowledge on the therapeutic efficacy of cannabinoids in medicine.
Leading the effort is Gene Morse, director of the center and co-director of the SUNY Global Health Institute. Morse, who brings extensive international experience and funding in the field of HIV/AIDS, also directs the UB Drug Development Service and director of the new UB Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences.
"You have all kinds of anecdotal evidence or observations that components of the plants are effective for different diseases, yet there hasn't been a lot of pre-clinical research," he said. "We need to go back and determine what's causing some of these good effects, and do the pre-clinical side and the pharmacokinetics."
The partnership with Citiva will break new ground, he said, as well as create the infrastructure needed for pre-clinical studies. It could also lead to the use of nanomedicine to deliver cannibinoids directly to the tissues of interest to better treat particular diseases, Morse said.
Morse was introduced to Citiva officials this summer while setting up the Buffalo Jamaica Innovation Enterprise and the Jamaican Center for Infectious Disease Research, a collaboration between UB, the Jamaica Health Ministry and the University of the West Indies. Citiva also has a research and development hub at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica, with multiple collaborative human trials planned.
"It became this triangle of interest," Morse said.
Citiva, located in New York City, is co-owned by Josh Stanley, a longtime medical cannibis advocate who also has ownership in separate medical marijuana businesses in Denver, Co. Though Citiva was unsuccessful in gaining one of New York's five medical marijuana licenses, Stanley is determined to keep growing in the state, as indicated by his Facebook post this week: "Citiva will remain on the cutting edge of the industry conducting clinical trials, developing medicines, and fighting to expand access."
Stanley said he envisions UB becoming a global hub for cannabinoid research and implementation programs.
"Based on our knowledge of plant strain development and UB's experience with drug development, we feel that the UB Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences will play a key role in global cannabinoid research and development," he said.
The company hopes to explore how cannabinoids derived from specific plant strains will lead to a new field of clinical medicine, and how those can be applied toward treatments for diabetes, seizures, chronic pain and mental health disorders.
Morse said researchers also hope to determine the pharmacologic and toxilogical characteristics of cannibinoids, as well as safety profiles. That's important, because some physicians have indicated their hesitation to participate in the state's medical marijuana program without additional study of the drugs they would be prescribing from state regulated dispensaries.
With Jamaica as a base for initial drug development, UB can begin to study cannibinoids without breaking any federal U.S. rules regarding the study of marijuana, considered a Schedule 1 drug. UB has also begun to have conversations with state and federal health officials, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, about how to legally register its work to ultimately allow for research to be done here as well.
"We're on both ends of it, with what's happening in the U.S. and what can be done outside the U.S.," he said. "I'm anticipating we'll be able to do it, it's just a matter of having all the regulatory requirements met so that we can make everyone comfortable. We also want to bring in the patient safety organization we have here so we will be able to collect information to help the roll-out be safer for patients, and eventually connect that to a research program as well."
Another goal of the UB-Citiva partnership will be the development of patient safety systems to monitor cannibinoid formulations and their resulting clinical results. That effort will be led by Dr. Jeffrey Lombardo, associate director of UB's Empire State Patient Safety Organization, located in the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics.
And while the Citiva funding will give the program its start, Morse hopes to receive additional funding in the future from the National Institute for Drug Abuse, building on an existing relationship from prior grant awards related to HIV treatment in patients with substance abuse. That may also lead to additional participation from other UB researchers, including those at UB's Research Institute on Addictions.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: University At Buffalo Partners With Citiva On Medical Marijuana Research Program
Author: Tracey Drury
Contact: Buffalo Business First
Photo Credit: ThinkStock
Website: Buffalo Business First
With $1.65 million in funding from Citiva, UB's Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences will work to develop new approaches to advance the study of medicinal cannabis and lead to greater knowledge on the therapeutic efficacy of cannabinoids in medicine.
Leading the effort is Gene Morse, director of the center and co-director of the SUNY Global Health Institute. Morse, who brings extensive international experience and funding in the field of HIV/AIDS, also directs the UB Drug Development Service and director of the new UB Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences.
"You have all kinds of anecdotal evidence or observations that components of the plants are effective for different diseases, yet there hasn't been a lot of pre-clinical research," he said. "We need to go back and determine what's causing some of these good effects, and do the pre-clinical side and the pharmacokinetics."
The partnership with Citiva will break new ground, he said, as well as create the infrastructure needed for pre-clinical studies. It could also lead to the use of nanomedicine to deliver cannibinoids directly to the tissues of interest to better treat particular diseases, Morse said.
Morse was introduced to Citiva officials this summer while setting up the Buffalo Jamaica Innovation Enterprise and the Jamaican Center for Infectious Disease Research, a collaboration between UB, the Jamaica Health Ministry and the University of the West Indies. Citiva also has a research and development hub at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Kingston, Jamaica, with multiple collaborative human trials planned.
"It became this triangle of interest," Morse said.
Citiva, located in New York City, is co-owned by Josh Stanley, a longtime medical cannibis advocate who also has ownership in separate medical marijuana businesses in Denver, Co. Though Citiva was unsuccessful in gaining one of New York's five medical marijuana licenses, Stanley is determined to keep growing in the state, as indicated by his Facebook post this week: "Citiva will remain on the cutting edge of the industry conducting clinical trials, developing medicines, and fighting to expand access."
Stanley said he envisions UB becoming a global hub for cannabinoid research and implementation programs.
"Based on our knowledge of plant strain development and UB's experience with drug development, we feel that the UB Center for Integrated Global Health Sciences will play a key role in global cannabinoid research and development," he said.
The company hopes to explore how cannabinoids derived from specific plant strains will lead to a new field of clinical medicine, and how those can be applied toward treatments for diabetes, seizures, chronic pain and mental health disorders.
Morse said researchers also hope to determine the pharmacologic and toxilogical characteristics of cannibinoids, as well as safety profiles. That's important, because some physicians have indicated their hesitation to participate in the state's medical marijuana program without additional study of the drugs they would be prescribing from state regulated dispensaries.
With Jamaica as a base for initial drug development, UB can begin to study cannibinoids without breaking any federal U.S. rules regarding the study of marijuana, considered a Schedule 1 drug. UB has also begun to have conversations with state and federal health officials, as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, about how to legally register its work to ultimately allow for research to be done here as well.
"We're on both ends of it, with what's happening in the U.S. and what can be done outside the U.S.," he said. "I'm anticipating we'll be able to do it, it's just a matter of having all the regulatory requirements met so that we can make everyone comfortable. We also want to bring in the patient safety organization we have here so we will be able to collect information to help the roll-out be safer for patients, and eventually connect that to a research program as well."
Another goal of the UB-Citiva partnership will be the development of patient safety systems to monitor cannibinoid formulations and their resulting clinical results. That effort will be led by Dr. Jeffrey Lombardo, associate director of UB's Empire State Patient Safety Organization, located in the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics.
And while the Citiva funding will give the program its start, Morse hopes to receive additional funding in the future from the National Institute for Drug Abuse, building on an existing relationship from prior grant awards related to HIV treatment in patients with substance abuse. That may also lead to additional participation from other UB researchers, including those at UB's Research Institute on Addictions.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: University At Buffalo Partners With Citiva On Medical Marijuana Research Program
Author: Tracey Drury
Contact: Buffalo Business First
Photo Credit: ThinkStock
Website: Buffalo Business First
