Taking a Holistic Approach
In the meantime, the company also owns and operates a licensed cultivation facility in Nevada that should help generate near-term revenue to offset its research and development costs while providing it with its own high-quality, standardized products for clinical trials.
GB Sciences has embraced the complexity of both the cannabis plant and endocannabinoid system. By taking a holistic approach, the company aims to leverage the natural interactions between hundreds of cannabinoids, terpenes, and other phytochemicals within the cannabis plant on many different receptors within the endocannabinoid system. These targets are identified using a high-throughput screening system that incorporates cellular and animal models of disease, as well as in silico experiments run with sophisticated algorithms.
Recently, the company filed a series of patents covering cannabinoid-containing complex mixtures, addressing areas like neuronal protection (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, etc.) and inflammation (arthritis, IBS, Crohn’s, asthma, etc.). The company also licensed an existing patent from Makai Biotechnology covering therapeutic methods for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and associated pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
With these patents in place, GB Sciences recently engaged a California-based contract research organization that will help complete pre-clinical trials on animals, file an Investigational New Drug application to begin human testing, and conduct its first human clinical trials. These efforts will accelerate the time-to-market and ensure that the company is adhering to best practices when executing clinical trials covering these enormous multi-billion dollar markets with significant unmet needs.
Finally, the company is taking a very clinical approach to the market to ensure the highest levels of standardization for both safety and efficacy reasons. Its manufacturing facility features standardized cultivation and extraction techniques designed to produce products with refined clinical properties, and it is applying for ISO certification for the facility. These levels of standardization are necessary for regulatory approvals as it moves into clinical trials.
Looking Ahead
The cannabis plant is more complex than many people realize with hundreds of different cannabinoids, terpenes, and phytochemicals. The interactions between these different components are just now starting to be understood and could unlock significant therapeutic potential over the long run. GB Sciences Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) aims to capitalize on these interactions and develop leading drugs targeting multi-billion dollar markets.
In the meantime, the company also owns and operates a licensed cultivation facility in Nevada that should help generate near-term revenue to offset its research and development costs while providing it with its own high-quality, standardized products for clinical trials.
