A research company called Ebbu in Colorado is working on editing the cannabis genome by producing single cannabinoid strains (1). Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids. Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract.
Since the beginning, humans have influenced genetic traits in plants through selective breeding including in orchards, vineyards and backyard gardens. As the scientific community gains a better understanding of how cannabinoids and terpenes interact with each other, this will have a profound impact on everything from medical applications to targeted mood enhancement. This concept of biological research takes stem cells from a plant or animal and puts them in an artificial environment. It is a method of clonal propagation that has been used in other agricultural industries but never with hemp or cannabis until now. This company is isolating cannabinoids and then testing them on DNA sourced from human cell receptors to understand how they work (2).
This is unprecedented work that may change the entire future of cannabinoid as medicine. The formulation created using these advanced extraction methods using liquid chromatography (a method for separating a mixture of chemicals into its individual components) to isolate individual cannabinoids like THC and CBG (3). This method shows how the cell receptors respond to different cannabinoids such as THC and CBD to better see how they work and how they affect humans. More research needs to be completed to see how this can change medicine, but with the prolific growth of cannabis, expect to see more and more exciting results from studies.
References:
- https://www.ebbu.com/newsroom
- http://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/about?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=USG%20BMCF%20Genome%20Biology%20USA%20Bing&utm_term=Genome%20research&utm_content=BMCF%20Genome%20Biology%20-%20Journal%20Scope
- https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Liquid+Chromatography
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or prior to using any CBD products.