Nearly 200 people gathered at\u00a0the Texas Medical Center\u2019s Innovation Institute this week to build an intellectual debate around medical cannabis.<\/p>\n
Lum\u00edr Hanu\u0161, Ph.D., delivered the keynote address at the event hosted by Vyripharm Biopharmaceuticals. Hanu\u0161 discussed medical cannabis as a successful medicine. He worked on a team of researchers, led by Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam, a pioneer of cannabis research, that discovered the endocannabinoid system in animals and humans. That included the synthesis of the cannabis sativa plant and isolating endocannabinoid receptors in the brain, nervous system, liver and spleen.<\/p>\n
\u201cCannabis is a wonderful medicine, but of course, it is no panacea or miracle drug,\u201d Hanu\u0161 said.<\/p>\n
While their research showed cannabis could perform well as a medicine, he cautioned that it \u201cdoesn\u2019t treat everything, everyone, every disease or every stage of disease.\u201d But it has been shown to help reduce the effects of some diseases, including epilepsy, Tourette Syndrome and diseases involving muscle stiffness. It also relieves side effects of anti-cancer drugs, such as\u00a0nausea.<\/p>\n
Despite more than 120,000 medical references\u2014not all positive\u2014to cannabis or cannabinoids, relatively few\u00a0clinical trials are underway\u00a0due to\u00a0the stigmatization of cannabis, Hanu\u0161 said.<\/p>\n
That is one of the reasons why Vyripharm Biopharmaceuticals, located in the TMC Innovation institute\u2019s TMCx+ incubator space, wanted to inform\u00a0attendees about the scientific evidence and efficacy of medicinal cannabis in treating debilitating diseases.<\/p>\n
Vyripharm is championing the expansion of the Texas Compassionate Use Act<\/a>, signed into law on June 1, 2015, that requires the state to license at least three \u201cdispensing organizations\u201d for these cannabis-based drugs by Sept. 1, 2017.\u00a0 The law also requires that doctors prescribing the drugs join a physician registry and share information about dosages and administration.<\/p>\n The company hopes to play a role as a contractor in this initiative assisting with setting the standards and guidelines for companies involved in the Compassionate Use Act.<\/p>\n Other speakers included Richard Ford, M.D., Ph.D., pathologist and professor of pathology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and his colleague, Lan Pham, Ph.D., assistant professor in hematopathology, who spoke about cannabis research related\u00a0to cancer. Also presenting were Nick Etten, executive director of the Veterans Cannabis Project, and Tori Strong, Ph.D., a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.<\/p>\n Strong spoke of the benefits and challenges regarding\u00a0the intellectual property of medical cannabis. He said there are fewer\u00a0than 100 patents in this space, which leaves room for new technology.<\/p>\n \u201cInnovation is a thriving force that could expand medical cannabis,\u201d Strong said.<\/p>\n Related:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vyripharm wants in on Texas’ medical cannabis initiative<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n