From a drug of almost global illegality to a multibillion-dollar industry, cannabis has significantly progressed in the last two decades. This gradual movement caught the interest of many science-based industries to boost this market by tailoring their services towards cannabinoid research and production. One, that became a crucial part of this market was the biotechnology industry which focussed on prospecting the field of cannabinoids in society. Their main areas of interest revolve around the discovery of new health benefits from active bioproducts and, the introduction of improved methods of delivering these compounds into the human system. Consequently, this alliance of industries has led to efforts and advancements in tackling medical disorders, some of which were incurable before.

This blog will, therefore, concentrate on a few biotech companies which have or are believed to cause a great impact on the development of medical cannabinoid products. Many difficult terms will be used too so bear with me, I’ve hyperlinked most of them to help you understand what I’m on about!

Cannabis takes over the biotech industry

Many companies have seen an opportunity to adapt their research, expertise or patented products in the cannabis market whilst others have invested in researching the plant since their establishment. For example, GW Pharmaceuticals was established in 1998 with the aim to research and develop cannabinoid-derived medication. They focused heavily on clinical trials, drug development and regulatory allowances but for years struggled to commercialise their medication because of the strict law surrounding cannabis. Fortunately, their research and trails were so extensive that they overcame regulatory clearance and became the first in the world to distribute cannabinoid-based medicine.

As mentioned, specialist biotechnology businesses found a profitable opportunity in the cannabis market and tailored their expertise towards its development. 22nd Century Group is one of these companies. The plant biotech firm originally focused on bioengineering of tobacco plants to lower the level of ‘harmful’ compounds like nicotine when smoked. The same problem is present when smoking cannabis as some compounds (e.g. CBD) are more desired in medicine than others (e.g. THC). Therefore, bioengineering of new cannabis strains which contain more of the desired compounds can support cannabinoid production companies like GW Pharmaceuticals. This can be through means of increasing yield and potency of the desired compounds but also improving the flow of the manufacturing process by lowering filtration steps needs to remove unwanted compounds.

Let’s jump back onto the topic of smoking as historically this was, and still is the main method of getting cannabis compounds into the human system. You do not have to be a doctor however to know that smoking in general, is a massive contributor to cardiovascular, pulmonary and cancerous diseases along with other difficulties. It shouldn’t, therefore, be a surprise that some biotechnological companies have recently been researching improved methods through which cannabinoid-derived medication can be consumed and absorbed. Lexaria Biosciences, for example, has developed the DehydraTECH™ technology which can be applied to bio-active compounds (including cannabinoids) which would otherwise be poorly absorbed by our stomachs. This technology is out-licensed to many pharmaceutical companies to improve the drugs taste and increase the rate of absorption, which in turn lowers the required dose needed for desired effects from the drug.

So, to sum things up, the biotech industry already has, and will continue to boost the development of the cannabis industry. They do this by directly impacting the properties of the drug or indirectly by research and making the public and government more aware of the medical benefits and more accepting of what it really is… just a plant with much medicinal potential. To top everything off, the recent involvement of the biotech industry (as well as other industries, e.g. medical, agricultural) in cannabinoids have really brought massive investments into cannabis in general, supplying scientists a whole load of funding to focus research more on the plant’s medical benefits.

In my next blog, I will dive deeper into the analytical techniques hugely used in cannabinoid research, as well as mass manufacture. I will aim to help you all understand the complexity evolving these techniques.. purely because filtration refers to much more than just using a sieve to separate ‘water from sand’ (surely we all did this practical in primary school?). Above that, I’m sure you’ll find it interesting to learn scientists are able to achieve a pure compound from such a complex plant structure!