Molecular research in medical cannabis for new drug development

Marijuana, Cannabis sativa, is one of the most effective medicinal plants in use for millennia by various civilizations, finding its way in and out of official pharmacopoeias. In Israel, C. sativa is undergoing a process of medicalization, whereby the development of high standard cannabis-based products for specific medical indications is of high priority. C. sativa contains more than 600 different secondary metabolites, including phytocannabinoids and terpenoids, present in different ratios and compositions in multiple diverse strains grown around the world. Yet, the specific beneficial molecules for medical use remain elusive. Our research is focused on identification of optimal compositions of cannabis-derived molecules to treat different medical indications. We found that both phytocannabinoids and terpenoids are needed for optimal anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities related to several medical indications, including inflammatory bowel diseases, colon cancer and cutaneous T cell lymphoma. We have also characterized the “entourage effect” in cannabis based on synergy between the active molecules, and identified some of the genetic pathways putatively affected by the synergistic combinations in human cell lines. Our research is paving the way towards development of the new generation of medical-grade, cannabis products, based on defined content of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).