THE PATH FROM A CANNABIS PLANT TO PHARMACEUTICALS AND TREATMENT
AN INTERVIEW WITH PROF. DEDI MEIRI
By Dr. Oori Weisshaus
What are the recent advances in the field of clinical applications for cannabis and its compounds? How can you monitor cannabis derived compounds to create a combination that activates different receptors and stimulate complex reactions that lead to holistic treatment? How important is to have genetic control and stability of a cannabis plant for precise compound composition that may serve as medicine? How can the current limitations of using cannabis extract be resolved through plant genetics?
All these highly relevant questions and more are discussed and answered in the current podcast.
Dedi (David) Meiri, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Biology at the Technion and a member of the Technion Integrated Cancer Center (TICC). His lab investigates the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids, the naturally occurring chemicals found in the cannabis plant. Researchers work on a variety of projects in the lab with its main focus on how cannabinoids affect various types of cancer, epilepsy, Alzheimer, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis and more.
A man on a mission, Prof. Meiri aims to understand the cannabis plant thoroughly enough so that a doctor can prescribe the right treatment at the right dosage for a particular patient. To that end, he collaborates with cannabis growers, clinicians, major manufacturers, and distributors of medical cannabis to identify almost every strain of marijuana grown in Israel, matching them to the diseases they affect. He has launched the Database Project, which exhaustively profiles compounds given to Israel’s 60,000 medical marijuana patients. Prof. Meiri also helps Israel’s Ministry of Health advance its understanding of cannabis usage.
Oori Weisshaus, PhD
Director of Genomic Solutions at NRGene Ltd. Oori has a rich background in genetics of plant secondary metabolism pathways and has been with NRGene since 2011, developing and applying genomic tools in marker development for breeding projects in various crops. In recent years Oori has specialized in development of genomic tools applicable to the dynamic needs of the emerging cannabis and hemp industries and collaborations with academic research of this unique plant.
