Two drug candidates have potential to improve pain management and prevent ocular disease

DuPriest, Sydney Slotkin

English

eGrove (Univ. of Mississippi)

University of Mississippi eGrove University of Mississippi News 1-6-2020 UM Partners with Emerald Bioscience to License Cannabis-derived Drugs Sydney Slotkin DuPriest Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews Recommended Citation DuPriest, Sydney Slotkin, "UM Partners with Emerald Bioscience to License Cannabis-derived Drugs" (2020). University of Mississippi News. 6030. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews/6030 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Mississippi News by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact egrove@olemiss.edu. Search this website … SearchA researcher propagates cannabis plants at the UM School of Pharmacy’s Marijuana Project. The universityhas licensed two new drug candidates that may provide nonaddictive pain management, prevent blindnessand alleviate the threat of irreversible vision loss from glaucoma and other eye diseases. Photo by RobertJordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging ServicesUM Partners with Emerald Bioscience to LicenseCannabis-derived DrugsTwo drug candidates have potential to improve pain management and preventocular diseasesJANUARY 6, 2020 BY SYDNEY SLOTKIN DUPRIESTOXFORD, Miss. ​​– The cannabis research program at the University of Mississippi School ofPharmacy has partnered with pharmaceutical company Emerald Bioscience Inc. to license two newdrug technologies that may provide nonaddictive pain management, prevent blindness and alleviate thethreat of irreversible vision loss from glaucoma and other eye diseases.The two drug candidate formulations include a synthetic prodrug of tetrahydrocannabinol, commonlyknown as THC, the main psychoactive compound associated with marijuana, and a synthetic analog ofcannabidiol another compound that is attracting widespread attention as a potential treatment for avariety of medical conditions. Both drug candidates are derivatives of the natural THC and CBD found inthe cannabis plant.The CBD analog, developed by UM and ElSohly Laboratories Inc., a small business and drugdevelopment company in Oxford, has potential to be used as a pain reliever that is equivalent or moreeffective than opioids.A multidisciplinary team led by Ken Sufka, Ole Miss professor of psychology, pharmacology andphilosophy, demonstrated that this synthetic form of CBD provides analgesic pain relief comparable toopioids when treating a condition known as chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, or CIN, in a validatedanimal model of the condition. The CBD analog provided pain relief for this debilitating condition causedby chemotherapy that, importantly, did not come with the risk of addiction.“When a patient with CIN cannot tolerate opioids, they often must decide to stop chemotherapyaltogether, meaning they are rolling the dice on whether they have had enough chemo to be tumor-free,”Sufka said. “Our team believes this novel CBD compound can fully manage neuropathic pain andchange the quality of life for those coping with cancer treatment.”The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration deemed this therapeutic candidate not to be a controlledsubstance, making it more widely available to diverse populations and testing sites within the UnitedStates.The second drug candidate, the THC prodrug, is an inactive form of THC that becomes activated whenabsorbed into the body. Along with Emerald Bioscience, Ole Miss and ELI researchers developed aRead the story …Read the story …Follow us on socialCampus BriefsStudents Learn ‘Real Politics’ inWashington, D.C., Winter SessionOXFORD, Miss. – Eleven University ofMississippi students spent their winterbreak learning about the people who workbehind the scenes of the Americangovernment in Washington, D.C. Lead byJonathan Klingler, assistant professor ofpolitical science, the students of Pol 391:Applied Politics met not with candidates,but with the people who make candidates’More Posts from this CategoryThank You To OurDonorsYoung Alumna Gives Back to Schoolof AccountancyOXFORD, Miss. – Stephanie JenningsTeague, of Chicago, sees her commitmentof $100,000 to the Patterson School ofAccountancy‘s new building at theUniversity of Mississippi as a means ofsaying “thank you.” “It is a way to show asmall token of my appreciation to OleMiss, the faculty and staff, and theaccountingMore Posts from this CategoryOle Miss In the NewsReuters: Keep an Eye on the MoneySupplyU.S. inflation roller coaster prompts freshlook at long-ignored money supply ByMichael S. Derby NEW YORK – Theamount of money sloshing around the U.S.economy shrank last year for the first timeon record, a development that someeconomists believe bolsters the case forU.S. inflation pressures continuing toabate. The Federal Reserve’sNews Releases UM COVID-19 Video Gallery University Communications Ole Miss Homepage Ole Miss News BlogFacebookTwitterLin edInEmailCopyLinkSMSPrintFriendlySharFacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInYouTubeChannelThe university cultivates and produces cannabisproducts as part of a contract with the National Instituteon Drug Abuse. UM researchers also have beenstudying compounds found in the plants as a sourcefor potential drug candidates to relieve pain and treat avariety of conditions. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole MissDigital Imaging ServicesTHC prodrug to treat glaucoma that can be absorbed through the tissues in the eye after a simpleeyedrop application.“Getting to this pivotal point took almost 10years,” said Soumyajit Majumdar, professor ofpharmaceutics and drug delivery and leader ofthe THC prodrug research team. “The Ole Missand ELI research teams developed manyiterations of the THC prodrug, balancing thecharacteristics of the compounds to come upwith a molecule and an ophthalmic formulationthat has the optimal characteristics to treatglaucoma effectively.”Researchers at the university have publishednumerous peer-reviewed papers related to thesefindings in Planta Medica and Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids, the Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and others.The decision for the university to partner exclusively with Emerald Bioscience was a result of the longpartnership between the two entities and the dedication on all sides to bring these innovations to themarket, said Allyson Best, UM director of technology commercialization.Brian Murphy, CEO of Emerald Bioscience, said he is thrilled that his company is licensing theseformulations and is eager to develop them further.“These molecules are some of the most promising cannabinoid-based therapies anywhere in the world,”Murphy said. “We will be able to use these derivatives of natural cannabinoids to further develop ourprogram based on the precept of precision medicine: drugs that can be delivered to a target tissue in thecorrect dose, in a formulation that best balances safety and efficacy.”Like all drugs in the development stage, the availability of these products will depend on regulatory andeconomic factors, as well as the successful completion of clinical trials.Ole Miss and ELI researchers showed that both the prodrug of THC and the analog of CBD successfullyenter the eye and reach the retina, which is an important finding in the goal of preventing blindness.“The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy is incredibly proud to be home to the inventors andscientists who have been working on these emerging technologies in collaboration with ELI for years,”said David D. Allen, UM pharmacy dean. “Our partnership with Emerald Bioscience has the potential tobenefit the global population.”FILED UNDER: FEATURED NEWS, NEWS RELEASES, RESEARCH AND SPONSORED PROGRAMS, SCHOOL OFPHARMACYRead the story …More Posts from this CategoryRetu rn  to  to p  o f  p a ge Copyright © 2023 · Th e Un iversity  o f  M ississ ip p i

UM Partners with Emerald Bioscience to License Cannabis-derived Drugs

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UM Partners with Emerald Bioscience to License Cannabis-derived Drugs

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