Willow Biosciences Announces Ground-Breaking Scientific Data for Cannabigerol (CBG) on Human Skin
7:00 AM ET, 04/20/2021 - PR Newswire
VANCOUVER, BC, April 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Willow Biosciences Inc. ("Willow" or the "Company") (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQX: CANSF) is pleased to announce that it has completed a series of studies with its development partner, Signum Biosciences, Inc., that demonstrate the safety and anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and antimicrobial properties of Willow's cannabigerol ("WillowCBG"). The studies demonstrate that Willow CBG is safe when applied to skin and eye areas and can act as a more potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory for certain skin applications when compared to plant derived cannabidiol ("CBD"), as further described below.
"Demonstrating the safety and benefit of a new ingredient like Willow's CBG is a critical step in commercialization and it's one that we take seriously at the Company," said Dr. Chris Savile, Willow's Chief Operating Officer. "Willow's CBG is now clinically tested to be safe for sensitive skin and demonstrated in the laboratory to act as a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial. Most interestingly, Willow CBG was shown to be as potent or more potent than CBD, in some cases up to twice as potent, in the performed assays. We believe the clinical work on human skin and in vitro models with CBG are the first of their kind to be reported and we are very excited to share the results with our stakeholders and industry."
The Studies
Willow CBG demonstrates a robust safety profile, showing no signs of skin irritation, eye irritation or phototoxicity, paving the way for its use in skin care. Based on the safety profile using these in vitro skin models, a Human Repeat Insult Patch Test clinical trial was performed on more than 100 volunteers where Willow CBG was demonstrated to be safe for sensitive skin. Willow's activity tests utilizing Normal Human Epidermal Keratinocytes (NHEKs) and Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDFs), demonstrate that Willow CBG possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting ultraviolet (UV) light and C. acnes-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine release. This data demonstrates the broad anti-inflammatory effect of Willow CBG against these different environmental stressors. Additional studies also indicate Willow CBG can act as an antioxidant as well as a strong antimicrobial against C. acnes and S. aureus, two bacterial strains shown to play a key role in the pathogenesis of acne and atopic dermatitis, respectively. These results demonstrate the utility of Willow CBG as an antimicrobial agent with similar potency as the broad-spectrum antibiotic doxycycline. Additional studies including gene array analysis on a 3D human skin models implicate collagen biosynthesis and skin brightening pathways as key Willow CBG targets.
Willow has been invited to present and discuss the full results of its findings at the upcoming Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) meeting on May 3rd to 8th, 2021, and is pleased to share this data with prospective customers, partners, and shareholders. Willow plans to make the full data available on its website, www.willowbio.com, the morning of May 3rd, 2021.
