Why the Michael J. Fox Foundation Advocates for Cannabis Research

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), which was established by and is named after the actor who has the disease, continues to advocate for cannabis research. As reported by Marijuana Moment, the group is currently pushing Congress to pass three bills relating to cannabis research and medical marijuana; the Medical Cannabis Research Act, VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act and Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act.  “Our role on the public policy team is to work with Congress and the administration to ensure there is access and funding for research and care initiatives that can benefit people living with Parkinson’s and, right now, that includes access to medical cannabis for research,” Ted Thompson, the foundation’s senior vice president of public policy, said. According to the MJFF site, the public policy team is currently tracking these bills and aims to inform members of Congress and their staff as to why the bills matter to the Parkinson’s community.

Spotlight

Indian Immunologicals Limited

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) set up Indian Immunologicals Ltd. (IIL) in 1982 with the objective of making Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine available to farmers at an affordable price. The technology for FMD vaccine manufacture was obtained from M/s. Wellcome Foundation Limited, United Kingdom. The plant in Hyderabad today has a capacity to make 80 million trivalent doses of FMD vaccine. Following the successful introduction of Foot &Mouth Disease Vaccine-Raksha, IIL launched the tissue culture vaccine "Raksharab"​ in 1989. This was the first Indian tissue culture vaccine in the market.

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MedTech

2 Small-Cap Biotech Stocks You Haven't Heard of, But Should Know About

Article | July 13, 2022

With everything that's going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare companies have grabbed plenty of spotlight during these challenging times. At the same time, a number of otherwise promising businesses have slipped under the radar. That's especially true for small-cap biotech stocks that aren't actively involved in developing tests, vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. Vaccine developers, protective equipment producers, and healthcare service providers are all attracting plenty of attention during this pandemic, but there are just as many promising biotech stocks that aren't involved in these areas. Here are two such companies that you might have missed, but they deserve a spot on your watch list.

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Medical

AI and Biotechnology: The Future of Healthcare Industry

Article | August 16, 2022

Artificial intelligence has grasped the foundation in biotech. It can have the most innovative impact on biotechnology. AI has already established its presence in our day-to-day life. AI has made the existence of self-driving cars possible. Likewise, the benefits and quality that it can contribute to biotech can also be felt. With AI, bio technicians will be able to enhance virtual screening, overlook preliminary datasets from clinics, and decipher an enormous amount of information. It can also help in improving the medication process by gathering and analyzing every bit of information. The Significance of AI in Biotechnology In the past few years, the application of artificial intelligence in the biotechnology industry has shifted from being sci-fi to sci-fact. A vast number of biotech companies like Deep Genomics are adopting AI for making data-driven decisions and use analytics tools to work efficiently. Unlike the AI robots in sci-fi that are ready to take over the world. AI designed for biotech has been designed to solve certain problems or complete a bunch of tasks by using automated algorithms. The aim of AI technology for biotech is to collect insights along with hidden patterns from large amounts of data. All the different industries of biotech including agriculture, animal, medical, industrial, and bioinformatics are gradually being affected by artificial intelligence. Moreover, the biotech industry is realizing that AI enables them some of the important strength to their business, including: Expanding accessibility Cost-effectiveness Critical predictions Efficient decision-making Research centers like PwC have also estimated output of $15.7 trillion by 2030 solely with AI contribution in industries. A survey revealed that about 44% of life science experts are using AI for R&D activities, as well. Use of AI in Biotechnology Altering Biomedical and Clinical Data So far the most developed use of AI is its ability to read voluminous data records and interpret them. It can prove to be a life-save for bio technicians who would have to examine that much data from research publications by themselves for the validation of their hypothesis. With the help of AI, clinical studies of patients will also become easier as all the examination reports and prescriptions will be stored in one place for cross-reference. Furthermore, it will also help in blending and fetching data into usable formats for analysis. Test Result Prediction Through trial and error, AI along with machine learning can help in predicting the response of the patient to certain drugs to provide more effective outcomes. Drug Design & Discovery AI plays a vital role whether it’s designing a new molecule or identifying new biological targets. It helps in identifying and validating drugs. It reduces the cost and time spent on the entire drug trial process and reaches the market. Personalized Medications for Rare Diseases With the combination of body scan results, patients’ body and analytics, AI can also help in detecting dangerous diseases at an early stage. Improving Process of Manufacturing To improve the process of manufacturing in biotechnology, AI offers a wide range of opportunities. It controls quality, reduces wastage, improves useability, and minimizes the designing time. Moving Towards AI-Enhanced Biotech Future Ever since the concept of artificial intelligence has arrived, being curious by nature, humans have started working towards achieving this goal. It has been growing at a fast pace while showing unbelievable growth and achievements at times. In comparison to the traditional methods used in the biotechnology industry, AI-based methods seem more reliable and accurate. In the upcoming years, it will show its success by improving the quality of health people have. You can also develop your AI-based application or know more about it by taking IT consultations.

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MedTech

Better Purification and Recovery in Bioprocessing

Article | July 20, 2022

In the downstream portion of any bioprocess, one must pick through the dross before one can seize the gold the biotherapeutic that the bioprocess was always meant to generate. Unfortunately, the dross is both voluminous and various. And the biotherapeutic gold, unlike real gold, is corruptible. That is, it can suffer structural damage and activity loss. When discarding the dross and collecting the gold, bioprocessors must be efficient and gentle. They must, to the extent possible, eliminate contaminants and organic debris while ensuring that biotherapeutics avoid aggregation-inducing stresses and retain their integrity during purification and recovery. Anything less compromises purity and reduces yield. To purify and recover biotherapeutics efficiently and gently, bioprocessors must avail themselves of the most appropriate tools and techniques. Here, we talk with several experts about which tools and techniques can help bioprocessors overcome persistent challenges. Some of these experts also touch on new approaches that can help bioprocessors address emerging challenges.

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MedTech

Expansion of BioPharma: Opportunities and Investments

Article | July 12, 2022

Biopharmaceutical innovations are among the most ingenious and refined achievements of modern medical science. New concepts, techniques, and therapies are emerging, such as the cell therapy Provenge, which can be used to treat cancer, and gene therapies, which provide even more amazing promises of disease remission and regenerative medicine. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge boom in the pharmaceutical industry. This is because more and more attention is being paid to increasing manufacturing capacity and starting new research on drug development. Biopharma: Leading the Way in the Pharma Sector In the past couple of years, the biopharmaceutical sector has deepened its roots across the medical and pharmaceutical industries, on account of the transformation of pharmaceutical companies towards biotechnology, creating opportunities for growth. Also, growing advancements in technologies such as 3D bioprinting, biosensors, and gene editing, along with the integration of advanced artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality are estimated to further create prospects for growth. According to a study, the biopharmaceutical sector makes nearly $163 billion around the world and grows by more than 8% each year, which is twice as fast as the traditional pharma sector. Massive Investments Directed Towards Biopharma Investing in biotech research and development (R&D) has yielded better returns than the pharma industry average. Hence, a number of pharmaceutical companies are shifting their presence toward biopharma to capitalize on the upcoming opportunities by investing in and expanding their biotechnology infrastructure. For instance, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., an American manufacturer of scientific instrumentation, reagents and consumables, and software services, announced an investment of $97 million to expand its bioanalytical laboratory operations into three new locations in the U.S. With this investment, the company will add 150,000 square feet of scientific workspace and install the most advanced drug development technologies to produce life-changing medicines for patients in need.

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Spotlight

Indian Immunologicals Limited

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) set up Indian Immunologicals Ltd. (IIL) in 1982 with the objective of making Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine available to farmers at an affordable price. The technology for FMD vaccine manufacture was obtained from M/s. Wellcome Foundation Limited, United Kingdom. The plant in Hyderabad today has a capacity to make 80 million trivalent doses of FMD vaccine. Following the successful introduction of Foot &Mouth Disease Vaccine-Raksha, IIL launched the tissue culture vaccine "Raksharab"​ in 1989. This was the first Indian tissue culture vaccine in the market.

Related News

The Power of Cannabis Hairs Revealed With Microscopy, Genetic Testing

LabRoots | November 01, 2019

A recent study from the University of British Columbia, published in The Plant Journal examined the hairs, or glandular trichomes, of cannabis plants. The structures and chemical outputs of various hairs were studied through microscopy and chemical profiling. The plant sample used was a quick-flowering variety of hemp Cannabis sativa known as “Finola.” The largest and mushroom-shaped “stalked” plant hairs were discovered to be the most potent; they produced the most THC- and CBD-forming metabolites and scent-producing terpenes. This fact has been previously suspected but unproven within the cannabis community. Earlier studies categorized the cannabis plant hairs as either bulbous, sessile or stalked, based on how they looked. But how they actually affected the strength of the plant’s effects was unknown. A gene expression analysis and UV light examinations helped the researchers to better understand the hairs’ properties. "We saw that stalked glandular trichomes have expanded ‘cellular factories’ to make more cannabinoids and fragrant terpenes. We also found that they grow from sessile-like precursors and undergo a dramatic shift during development that can be visualized using new microscopy tools,” co-lead author and Botany Ph.D. candidate Sam Livingston said.

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Is There Really a Difference Between Indica and Sativa?

labroots | April 26, 2019

The idea that there are different strains, (Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa), has almost become cannabis dogma. They look different, indicas are typically shorter and more scrub-like while sativas are taller. They came from different regions, indicas from Afghanistan and India and sativas from central America. They even are thought to have different effects. Indicas are thought to induce a sense of deep body relaxation, while sativas tend to produce an energizing experience. But is there any science to these claims? The idea that these strains are different species comes from the famous biologist Jean Baptiste Lamarck, known primarily being wrong about how species evolve. Lamark classified these strains as different species based primarily in the manner that we do today. According to an essay published by Jacob L. Erkelens and Arno Hazekamp in the journal Cannabinoids, Lamark distinguished the plant C. sativa, which was cultivated at the time, from a new variant of cannabis that grew wild in India, was thought to be a new species. In honor of the country that it came from, Lamarck called it C.indica (for India).

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CanniMed Inks Canada’s First Pharmacy Cannabis Distribution Deal

biotech | March 02, 2017

This industry-leading collaboration will see CanniMed responsible for producing and delivering accredited pharmacy education programs to PharmaChoice pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across Canada. In addition, CanniMed and PharmaChoice intend to enter a definitive agreement for distribution of medical cannabis through PharmaChoice pharmacists in Canada upon completion of the first provincial legislation change that allows such distribution

Read More

The Power of Cannabis Hairs Revealed With Microscopy, Genetic Testing

LabRoots | November 01, 2019

A recent study from the University of British Columbia, published in The Plant Journal examined the hairs, or glandular trichomes, of cannabis plants. The structures and chemical outputs of various hairs were studied through microscopy and chemical profiling. The plant sample used was a quick-flowering variety of hemp Cannabis sativa known as “Finola.” The largest and mushroom-shaped “stalked” plant hairs were discovered to be the most potent; they produced the most THC- and CBD-forming metabolites and scent-producing terpenes. This fact has been previously suspected but unproven within the cannabis community. Earlier studies categorized the cannabis plant hairs as either bulbous, sessile or stalked, based on how they looked. But how they actually affected the strength of the plant’s effects was unknown. A gene expression analysis and UV light examinations helped the researchers to better understand the hairs’ properties. "We saw that stalked glandular trichomes have expanded ‘cellular factories’ to make more cannabinoids and fragrant terpenes. We also found that they grow from sessile-like precursors and undergo a dramatic shift during development that can be visualized using new microscopy tools,” co-lead author and Botany Ph.D. candidate Sam Livingston said.

Read More

Is There Really a Difference Between Indica and Sativa?

labroots | April 26, 2019

The idea that there are different strains, (Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa), has almost become cannabis dogma. They look different, indicas are typically shorter and more scrub-like while sativas are taller. They came from different regions, indicas from Afghanistan and India and sativas from central America. They even are thought to have different effects. Indicas are thought to induce a sense of deep body relaxation, while sativas tend to produce an energizing experience. But is there any science to these claims? The idea that these strains are different species comes from the famous biologist Jean Baptiste Lamarck, known primarily being wrong about how species evolve. Lamark classified these strains as different species based primarily in the manner that we do today. According to an essay published by Jacob L. Erkelens and Arno Hazekamp in the journal Cannabinoids, Lamark distinguished the plant C. sativa, which was cultivated at the time, from a new variant of cannabis that grew wild in India, was thought to be a new species. In honor of the country that it came from, Lamarck called it C.indica (for India).

Read More

CanniMed Inks Canada’s First Pharmacy Cannabis Distribution Deal

biotech | March 02, 2017

This industry-leading collaboration will see CanniMed responsible for producing and delivering accredited pharmacy education programs to PharmaChoice pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across Canada. In addition, CanniMed and PharmaChoice intend to enter a definitive agreement for distribution of medical cannabis through PharmaChoice pharmacists in Canada upon completion of the first provincial legislation change that allows such distribution

Read More

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