Cannabis is one of the primary plants the IPI will begin studying.
The IPI aims to apply the wealth of science and technology at Harvard and strategically partner it with other educational institutions and private industry to convert potential high-impact medicinal plants “to evidence-based pharmaceutical grade products for global health and economic development.”
Leading the effort is Professor Wil Ngwa, who is director of the Global Health Catalyst at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, both affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Ngwa sees the collaborations as a key to providing focused and detailed research into the medicinal qualities of the cannabis plant.
“You need the critical mass of people coming together, and I think that Harvard provides that platform,” he said.
Seed funding for the initiative was provided by the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and it includes funding support and sponsored research agreements with industry partners.
While initial commitments from the launch already have reached $6 million, more funds are expected from ongoing partnership discussions, according to Lydia Asana, Ph.D., coordinator for the Harvard Global Health Catalyst Summit. So far, the focus of the Global Health Catalyst has been research into cancer and non-communicable diseases, but in the last few years researchers at the center developed an interest in pain management, Asana said.
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
