From left, Jim Hole, Atlas vice-president of cultivation, and Ross Tsuyuki, chair of the U of A's Department of Pharmacology.
Photo: Laughing Dog Photography
A new partnership between Atlas Biotechnologies and the University of Alberta is exploring the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases.
In December 2019, Edmonton-based Atlas began donating what will amount to over $300,000 over two years to fund three research studies at the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. The studies will observe the effects of compounds derived from medical cannabis and their efficacy for treatment.
"Because cannabis is now more accessible, people are touting it for all kinds of things, but without solid scientific evidence," says Ross Tsuyuki, PharmD, chair of the U of A's Department of Pharmacology. "But there likely are benefits for some conditions. We're excited about the opportunity to do some real science around it to understand how these compounds work and if they can be used to treat human disease."
"Atlas's vision is to create the world's most trusted cannabis products," adds Jeffrey R. Gossain, chief operating officer of Atlas. "Investing in this research is really important for us because it will start advancing the science of medical cannabis and what it can actually do for people. Our vision is to have a product that will actually help patients with these different ailments and make their lives better."
The research is being led by scientists in the U of A's Department of Pharmacology who are also members of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. They have begun looking at the effects of cannabis in the laboratory through the following studies:
- Examining cannabidiol (CBD) and other cannabinoids for the treatment of pain experienced by patients with multiple sclerosis (Anna Taylor, PharmD, and Bradley Kerr, PhD)
- Studying the efficacy of cannabis compounds in reducing neuroinflammation and the degeneration of the brain that occurs in Huntington's disease (Simonetta Sipione, PhD)
- Testing several cannabinoids to determine their neuroprotective activity in models of Alzheimer's disease (Elena Posse de Chaves, PhD)
"Alzheimer's disease, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and Huntington's disease are all devastating conditions that don't have a lot of effective treatments," says Tsuyuki. "If we find something, even if it works just a little, that could be an enormous advance for patients. But we have to do our homework first, and that is where we're starting."
"This collaboration marks some of our first steps on a long road of research discovery around medical cannabis. A great amount of work needs to be done," adds Tsuyuki.
Cannabis has been used for a variety of ailments for countless years but the basic mechanisms of how it might work is not well understood as the science behind it remains in its infancy.
Cannabis compounds
While the most well-known components of cannabis are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), the plant can produce 500 different active biological compounds, each with the potential of having therapeutic benefits. Through the studies, Atlas and the U of A researchers hope to identify specific compounds, or combinations of compounds that show promise for future therapeutic treatments. In addition to the funding, Atlas is providing material for the studies that is produced and extracted at its Edmonton production facility.
"We've got to figure out what the best combination of those compounds are and how they're actually working in people," says Gossain. "A lot of people will tell you, 'My mom had cancer,' or 'my friend had an illness, and they took cannabis and it helped.' But then for other people they don't have as effective results."
"Part of the problem is that you don't really know what product they took, how they dosed it, or the combinations of chemicals in the product that helped. It's not as simple as just saying, 'The plant's got THC and CBD.' You've got to get a lot more detailed than that."
Atlas was founded in 2015, with a focus on producing and researching medical cannabis. The company owns and operates a 38,000-square-foot production facility outside of Edmonton that produces more than 5,000 kilograms of product annually. In addition to growing medical cannabis, the company has extraction facilities on site, allowing it to isolate rare cannabinoids for use in targeted medical research applications. Last fall, Atlas also acquired a 170,000-square-foot facility in Denmark and was granted its cultivation and processing licence from the Danish Medicines Agency.
In addition to the partnership with the U of A, Atlas also entered a research collaboration with Harvard Medical School in May 2019 that is focused on the development of new products for pain and other neurological conditions.
It's hoped the research findings through the U of A partnership will open the door to future clinical trials and one day bring much-needed new therapies to patients.
"Our team is exploring the areas that we think have the highest likelihood of success and we will follow where the science leads," says Tsuyuki. "If it comes to the point where Atlas wants to develop targeted products, we'll be there for that as well. But for now we'll be the ones to give them the signals about what's worthwhile to pursue."