Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, La., has launched a hemp product line, making it the first historically black college or university (HBCU) to do so.
The university, which is the largest HBCU in the state, launched its hemp product line, ALAFIA, last week in partnership with Ilera Holistic Healthcare, a medical cannabis company based in Pennsylvania. ALAFIA offers an isolate and full spectrum cannabidiol (CBD) tinctures, which are expected to be available at Louisiana dispensaries and other retail locations by the end of March. Additional products will be announced soon.
“Our overall goals are to continue providing experiential learning opportunities for our students who plan to enter into this rapidly evolving industry and to also provide education to the constituents of Louisiana in efforts to destigmatize this medical plant,” said lead researcher, Janana Snowden, Ph.D., executive director of the university’s Southern Institute for Medicinal Plants, to NBC News.
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CBG: A New(er) Option for Cancer Treatment?
Preliminary studies show promise of a non-intoxicating stem cell cannabinoid against cancer cell lines in both isolated and synergistic drug preparations.
The research on the anti-palliative effects of cannabinoids, namely THC, has produced pharmaceutical options like Marinol that have been on the market since the mid-80s and remain available to patients with intractable chemo-related nausea and vomiting. However, recent research suggests that cannabinoids may do more than treat the symptoms associated with conventional cancer therapies; some cannabinoids may kill cancer cells altogether and with a low risk of side effects or damage to healthy cells.
Recent pre-clinical studies have found that one such phytochemical component, cannabigerol (CBG), may be exceptionally efficacious against a number of cancer cell lines, and without the risk of intoxication.
CBG is the precursor to all other cannabinoids, including THC, CBD and CBC. CBG in its raw form, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), develops within the plant’s cells when two organic compounds produced by the plant, olivetolic acid (OA) and geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP), combine. CBGA then is secreted into trichomes before it converts into the three major cannabinoid lines: THCA, CBDA, and CBCA, otherwise known in their more studied, “activated” forms as THC, CBD and CBC.
Unlike THC, CBG doesn’t have any great affinity for activating CB1 receptors, thus it doesn’t create a classic cannabis high in consumers—though its psychoactive efficacy may help treat certain mood disorders, including anxiety and depression. However, much like other cannabinoids, CBG does engage with the endogenous cannabinoid system both directly and indirectly, as well as through a number of peripheral pathways in the body.
Deactivation, or antagonism, of the ion channel TRPM8 (Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel subfamily Melastatin member 8), otherwise known as the “cold and menthol receptor”, is one such mechanism of action for CBG. Irregular expression of this receptor is implicated in the initiation and progression of tumors, including prostate, melanoma, breast adenocarcinoma, bladder and colorectal cancers. Currently, the strongest evidence for CBG anti-tumor therapy via the TRPM8 channel is supported by research into colon cancer cell lines.
CBG Studies on Colorectal Cancer
A number of studies have pointed to CBG’s efficacy against colorectal cancer via TRPM8 antagonism including a 2014 paper published inCarcinogenesiswhich described potent in vivo action that promoted apoptosis (programmed cell death), improved oxidative stress responses, and reduced cell growth in colorectal cancer cells. The study found that these results were independent of CBG’s engagement with other TRP receptor channels and were improved by CB2 receptor deactivation, the endocannabinoid receptor predominately associated with immune system response. Inversely, activation of CB2 receptors has been linked to colon cancer progression which suggests that cannabinoids whose primary mechanisms of action lie outside of canonical cannabinoid receptors, like CBG, may prove most effective, according to the study’s authors.
CBG isn’t alone in its cytotoxic effects on colorectal cancer; its raw form has also demonstrated promising early results. A 2018 paper published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research observed CBGA-rich cannabis extractions were also involved in cytotoxic activity on in vitro colon cancer cells, indicating the presence of additive effects with combined cannabinoid ratios in the presence of minute amounts of other cannabis compounds like terpenes, specifically in relation to preparations rich in both CBGA and THCA. The THCA-rich fraction was found to be moderately effective, but efficacy improved significantly with the addition of CBGA. Furthermore, both neutral (THC and CBG) and acidic forms of these cannabinoids displayed cytotoxicity, but the acidic forms were less active on normal colon cell lines thereby elucidating their potential for chemopreventative activity against noncancerous colorectal growths associated with a greater risk of developing cancer, according to the study. These results on mixed ratio applications strengthen previous research that demonstrated CBG botanical extracts to be more active at TRPM8 than pure CBG.
Breast Cancer
The therapeutic potential of cannabinoid synergy, known as the Entourage or Ensemble Effect, was also discussed in a 2018 study that examined activity against breast cancer cell lines. Referencing extensive preclinical data that demonstrated cannabinoids can trigger antitumor responses in various forms of cancer, the authors found that botanical drug preparations rich in CBG, THCA, and THC were more effective than THC alone in cell culture and animal models.
While THC displayed some efficacy by elevating immune and antioxidant responses through activation of CB2 receptors, the authors described the importance of non-cannabinoid receptor pathways in the improvement of botanical drug preparations activity against cancer cells, especially in cancer types that inherently express low to undetectable levels of cannabinoid receptors. For these types, a 2005 study published in The Journal of Immunology described how THC and other cannabinoids whose primary mechanism of anti-tumor action appears to rely on canonical cannabinoid receptor engagement may not be as effective as cannabinoids that engage through peripheral pathways, like CBG.
Stomach, Bone, and Gastrointestinal Cancers
Cannabics Pharmaceuticals, a U.S. company with research facilities in Israel, specifically focuses on the development of cannabinoid therapies for cancer treatment and its conventional therapy side effects. In recent headlines, the company announced preliminary findings that further elucidate the anti-tumor potential of CBG and the potential for cannabinoid synergy in cancer treatments.
In pre-clinical work that looked at human stomach and bone cancer cell lines in vitro, CBG was found to be more effective than its acidic form, CBGA, against diseased cells. Additionally, investigators demonstrated the potency of both CBG and CBC (cannabichromene) against gastrointestinal cancer cells. Here, both cannabinoids were shown to induce significantly higher rates of cancer cell death compared to other cannabinoids and suggest the need for further investigation into synergistic efficacy.
Other Areas Worthy of Investigation
The potential of CBG to regulate inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms across numerous receptor sites bodes well for its use against a plethora of pathologies. In fact, in a GW Pharmaceuticals patent application, the company provided a large list of diseases and conditions where they felt CBG research was warranted:
"...pain (including but not limited to acute pain; chronic pain; neuropathic pain and cancer pain), neurodegenerative disease (including but not limited to Alzheimer's disease; Parkinson's disease; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; Huntington's disease; multiple sclerosis; frontotemporal dementia; prion disease; Lewy body dementia; progressive supranuclear palsy; vascular dementia; normal pressure hydrocephalus; traumatic spinal cord injury; HIV dementia; alcohol induced neurotoxicity; Down's syndrome; epilepsy or any other related neurological or psychiatric neurodegenerative disease), ischemic disease (including but not limited to stroke; cardiac ischemia; coronary artery disease; thromboembolism; myocardial infarction or any other ischemic related disease), brain injury or damage (including but not limited to traumatic brain injury is taken from the group: diffuse axonal injury; concussion; contusion; whiplash or any other traumatic head or brain injury), acquired brain injury (including but not limited to stroke; anoxic brain injury; hypoxic brain injury or any other acquired brain injury), age related inflammatory or autoimmune disease, cachexia (including related conditions such as AIDS wasting disease, weight loss associated with cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or infectious diseases such as tuberculosis), nausea and vomiting, glaucoma, movement disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergy, psoriasis, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, renal ischemia and nephritis."
This long list is no surprise when considering the primary role of the endocannabinoid system as a regulator of balance within bodily systems for optimal health and wellness.
Other promising cancer-related research for CBG includes a 1996 investigation that demonstrated the cannabinoid’s “significant antitumor activity” against mouse melanoma cells and that same team’s 1998 discovery of the cytotoxic effects of CBG at high doses against human oral epithelial carcinoma cells. As seen in colorectal cancer cell lines, TRPM8 receptors may also play a role in epithelial carcinogenesis as these menthol receptors have also been found in human epithelial cells. The implication of TRPM8 in the growth and progression of pancreatic cancer should not be discounted and its potential as a molecular target for prostate cancer has already been suggested by scientists.
The deactivation of overactive TRPM8 receptors by CBG is not the only mechanism of action to consider when it comes to cannabinoid-based cancer therapies. Another attractive molecular target for CBG’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits is through potent activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, or PPARγ. These nuclear hormone receptors play an important role in regulating inflammation, glucose metabolism and cancer. In a 2017 review of PPAR receptors as potential drug targets for cancer therapy, investigators noted that PPARγ activation inhibits tumor progression and increases tumor suppression. Research from 2013 published in Cell Death and Diseasedemonstrated the efficacy of THC, another PPARγ agonist, against in vitro and in vivoliver cancer cell lines. With THC’s risk of unwanted intoxication, CBG and mixed-cannabinoid preparations should be further studied for their efficacy against liver cancer development and progression.
While human trials have not yet been published on the potential efficacy of CBG against various forms of cancers and there is a great deal more to understand before therapeutic pharmaceutical treatments are developed, scientists are chomping at the empirical evidence bit. More importantly, understanding cannabinoid potential, even in its investigational infancy, can help consumers better navigate the products currently available on the market to fit their needs. By actively engaging with receptors in the body implicated in the development and progression of a number of cancer cell lines, as well as playing a vital role in regulating the body’s own natural defense systems without fear of intoxication, research suggests that CBG holds enormous therapeutic promise moving forward.
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Missouri Licenses Six Seed-to-Sale Cannabis Businesses
The licensees will use their technology platforms to track medical cannabis from the seed or immature plant stage through the product’s sale at a dispensary.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has awarded six seed-to-sale tracking companies licenses to operate in the state’s forthcoming medical cannabis market.
The licensees are MJ Freeway, Bio-Tech Medical Software, Swin, Artemis Agtech, Validated Housing and Retail Innovation, according to The Motley Fool.
Two companies, Leaf Logix Technologies and Canna Botanicals, were denied licenses, the news outlet reported.
The licensees will use their technology platforms to track medical cannabis from the seed or immature plant stage through the product’s sale at a dispensary.
Missouri legalized medical cannabis in 2018 and has worked quickly to license the nascent industry. DHSS issued testing lab and cultivation licenses in December, and awarded manufacturing and dispensary licenses last month.
The state had approved roughly 25,000 medical cannabis cards as of late January.
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Oklahoma’s First Year of Medical Cannabis Licensing, Revenue Exceeds Expectations
Eighteen months after legalization, 8% of Oklahomans have a medical cannabis card and the state has licensed more than 2,200 dispensaries.
It’s been 18 months since Oklahoma launched its legal medical cannabis program, and licensing and revenue have both exceeded initial expectations, according to a Cherokee Phoenix report.
Roughly 8% of adults have a medical cannabis card, the news outlet reported, and the state has licensed more than 2,200 dispensaries, which means there is one for every 1,786 residents, or one for every 100 card holders.
The state has issued 4,757 total cultivation, processing and dispensary licenses to date, Cherokee Phoenix reported, and only 770 have not been renewed.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission has reported that medical cannabis sales reached $345 million in 2019, according to the news outlet, and the state collected $55 million in total tax revenue.
New Frontier Data has rated Oklahoma as the second-most saturated market behind New Mexico, Cherokee Phoenix reported, due to minimal financial obstacles and a lack of qualifying conditions—doctors can ultimately decide whether to prescribe cannabis on a case-by-case basis.
Photo courtesy of Front Range Biosciences.
How Front Range Biosciences Leverages the Power of Partnerships
The hemp genomics business announced four distribution partnerships in January alone.
In August 2019, the team at Front Range Biosciences (FRB) saw a boom in growth when the Lafayette, Colo.-based hemp genomics business acquired the entire R&D team at Steep Hill.
Heading into 2020, the company shows no signs of slowing down. In January alone, FRB announced four partnerships with different distributors that can both share the company’s genetics and also help build relationships with farmers across the country.
“For us, we’re trying to establish a large footprint so we can get our products into lots of different geographies and expand our market share and our presence in the industry,” CEO Jon Vaught, Ph.D., tells Hemp Grower. “We’ve been working aggressively to not only build out our own internal sales force for our team to help support our customers, but also leverage existing sales and distribution relationships that companies ... already have in place.”
FRB’s newest partners extend coast to coast and include:
Coastal Alabama Organix LLC, Fairhope, Ala. The company will offer FRB’s full product lineup in the southeast and Gulf Coast regions of the U.S.
Alterra Hemp, Fort Collins, Colo. The company will offer FRB’s Proven Performers CBD varieties along with Panakeia, FRB’s first high-cannabigerol variety that contains 0% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Alterra provides hemp clones across the U.S. with rooting stations located in Oregon, California, Colorado, Arizona, Tennessee and Florida. "Alterra works closely with Front Range Biosciences to ensure that farmers receive consistent genetics that will help minimize the risk of crop failure, increase yields, achieve compliance and maximize return on investment," said Cameron and Victoria Wylde, the owners of Alterra, in a press release.
Aligned Distributing LLC, Lakewood, Colo. The company, which sells equipment and supplies to indoor and field cultivators across the U.S. and Canada, has extended its existing sales partnership with FRB.
Griffin Greenhouse Supplies Inc., Tewskbury, Mass. The company, which has 16 fully stocked service centers, will distribute FRB’s Clean Stock hemp varieties nationwide. The varieties were cultivated from tissue culture to assure they’re certified, disease-free and true to type.
These newly announced partners are in addition to a network of several other companies FRB has collaborated with in its nearly four years of existence. Together, the partnerships are quickly helping FRB expand its footprint nationwide by building on the company’s reach last year to 10 different states.
“Basically, most of the U.S. now has some form of hemp cultivation, especially in places where you have traditionally grown outdoor row crops, and you’ve got good soil and good climates for growing. I think we’re targeting all of those places [for partnerships],” Vaught says.
Last year, FRB shipped nearly 2 million plants between April and July. Vaught expects the addition of the new partners, on top of others FRB plans to formalize and announce later this year, will “certainly more than double” that number for the upcoming growing season.
With more growth comes the need for more capacity, which is fortunately another benefit many of FRB’s partnerships provide. While FRB owns “several acres” of greenhouse space, Vaught says, that number starts to balloon quickly when including the space its partnerships provide for cultivation.
The partnerships carry other perks as well. Coastal Organix, for example, also has a R&D facility that FRB says has served as a field trial partner to mesh its “current products with future technologies.” And working with Aligned Distributing LLC, FRB has recently launched a seven-part educational video series titled “Growing Hemp: Best Practices for Success.” (Two episodes have been released so far.)
Vaught says through his partners, he hopes to build lasting relationships with farmers to help them successfully scale up their operations over time.
“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. In agriculture and farming communities especially, it’s all about relationships,” Vaught says. “I think being able to leverage trust in the relationships that these distribution and sales groups have in place already is very valuable.”
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