Cannabis benefits mount up for ....27 Jun 2019 19:55
Cannabis benefits mount up for Cambridge science
Published: 16:34, 27 June 2019
With cannabis now legally available in the UK for medical use, applications are being investigated, so it is timely that Cambridge is hosting a two-part conference on the topic.
The two-part pilot, at The Old Divinity School – on July 7 and August 4 – will see the topic of medical cannabis discussed for the first time in Cambridge.
Organised by CANNTalks – ‘Curating A New Normal’ refers directly to the changes in cannabis reform happening globally – the events are titled ‘Live Talks: A Conversation on Cannabis’. The founders are a collective of scientists, academics, artists, activist disruptors, and influencers.
They describe the occasion as “a deep-dive into the science of the deepest parts of the plant-human relationship, illuminating on the complexities of the plant herself, before moving towards the regulatory changes; as well as exploring the philosophy and the ethics that have been behind prohibition for the last 90 years”.
One of those attending will be Dan Gooding, CEO of Nuformix, the Science Park-based pharmaceutical development company which uses cocrystal technology to unlock therapeutic potential of approved drugs in oncology supportive care and fibrosis.
“The event in Cambridge is very international,” Dan says. “It’s bringing together academics, patients, parents of patients – such as children with epilepsy – and regulators, and there’s a comprehensive list of topics about what’s going on and giving it airtime. We’ll be there!”
There is a heightened interest because Nuformix recently signed an agreement with Canadian firm Ebers Tech Inc. Ebers is “backed by leaders from the financial sector focused on the development of superior, differentiated cannabinoid products for a multitude of consumer product and therapeutic applications”.
The agreement – which saw Nuformix’s share price jump 30 per cent – is for the development, licensing and commercialisation of cannabinoid therapeutics and involves “up to £51million of upfront R&D and milestone payments, plus long-term royalties of 20 per cent of net sales medical cannabis”. It includes an upfront payment, with early-stage milestone payments expected this year.
So what’s the fuss about? Well, cannabis is entirely legal in Canada so there’s a healthy market to work with. The market in the US has also opened up to medical cannabis and that’s created interest in the UK.
GW Pharmaceuticals in Histon is already a global leader in developing cannabinoid-based medicines.
First off the block is cannabidiol, or CBD, which is an active ingredient in cannabis derived from the hemp plant – and it should be pointed out that this form of medical cannabis has zero THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the ingredient that gives “weed” its psychoactive effects.
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https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/cannabis-benefits-mount-up-for-cambridge-science-9074755/
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