Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the retina affecting one in every 15,000-20,000 births. It is normally diagnosed in infancy or early childhood and although it is treatable, enucleation is commonly required. Other treatments include radiation, photocoagulation, or cryotherapy and are often followed by chemotherapy. In an attempt to find an alternate method of treatment that lowers the frequency of enucleation and the serious side-effects resulting from current treatments, ajulemic acid (AJA), a synthetic derivative of Cannabis, has been used to treat retinoblastoma cells. Thus far, significant cell death has occurred among retinoblastoma cells that have been treated with AJA concentrations of as low as 50 11M. We are also currently investigating how the AJA treatment of retinoblastoma cells compares with carboplatin treatment, one of the leading chemotherapy drugs currently used in treating retinoblastoma
