Is cannabis the new wonder drug? Israeli scient
Post# of 85487
Israeli scientists are exploring cannabis as a treatment, or even cure, for conditions ranging from cancer to Parkinson’s, asthma, insomnia, PTSD, epilepsy and IBS.
Cannabis will one day be an important tool in curing cancer, agrees Prof. David “Dedi” Meiri, head of the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabanoid Research at the Technion-Israeli Institute of Technology.
However, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Each type of cancer has unique characteristics and cannabis contains 142 known cannabinoids (active components).
Matching the most effective cannabis compounds (possibly a cocktail of them) to specific cancers is a complex process that Meiri’s lab is mapping out on mice, Meiri told ISRAEL21c at the fourth annual CannaTech conference in Tel Aviv earlier this year.
Even the compound extraction method makes a difference, Meiri said, “but we don’t know yet which is better, just that there’s a difference.”
Parkinson’s, insomnia
Nearly 70 Israeli companies are actively focusing on medical cannabis in sectors such as agriculture, life-sciences and medical devices, according to a 2018 report from Tel Aviv-based IVC Research Center.
Some of the life-sciencescompanies developing medicines or treatments are ICD Pharma, Intec Pharma, Talent Biotechs (acquired in 2017 by Kalytera Therapeutics), Therapix Biosciences, Bazelet and Izun Pharma subsidiary CannRx.
“Cannabis is very different from traditional pharma because the initial evidence for relevant indications is coming from patients themselves rather than from basic research,” says Shimon Lecht, PhD, the R&D manager for CannRx.
The medical indications in the CannRx pipeline are insomnia, neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease; and pain (with a delivery system suitable for the elderly and other populations having difficulty with administration).
“The most advanced formulas are for insomnia and pain. We expect during this year to have some announcements of clinical trial results,” says Lecht.
https://www.israel21c.org/is-cannabis-the-new-wonder-drug/
This is an excerpt from a much longer article.