CannMed Coffee Talk

Lyndsay Avery is an immunologist specializing in T cell signaling. As a professor at Saint Michael’s College, her primary focus is training future scientists at the undergraduate level. In collaboration with fellow Saint Michael’s professor and CannMed Advisor Mark Scialdone, Lyndsay and her students conducted basic drug discovery research on synthetic cannabinoids through course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Lyndsay presented her team’s findings as at CannMed 26 in a poster presentation titled, “Hydrogenation of THCA results in stereoisomers with differing potency on T cell function and viability”. During our conversation, we discuss: What T cells do in the immune system and how their balance drives autoimmunity versus immunodeficiency How a chemistry collaboration with Mark Sheldon pulled Lyndsay from mainstream immunology into synthetic cannabinoid research What hydrogenation does to a cannabinoid’s chemical structure and why it may improve stability and bioavailability How THCA’s carboxyl group lets it act on T cells without triggering CB1-driven psychoactivity Why mirror-image (chiral) versions of the same hydrogenated compound produced very different effects on T cell death How fluorinated analogs showed the opposite toxicity pattern in different cancer cell lines Where the research is headed next Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: CANN Since 2015, CANN has been building a strong network of scientists in the cannabis space to promote scientific innovation, safety, and development through education, research, and the empowerment of the scientific community. To learn more about what CANN has to offer please visit their website at www.cann-acs.org. Additional Resources Avery Lab at Saint Michael’s College Email Lyndsay – [email protected] Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

David Hawley is Principal Scientist at Fluence, where he steers the company’s global Cannabis Crop Sciences program. His team’s research, which often appears in peer-reviewed publications, has identified specific and diverse lighting strategies that consider crop yield, morphology, quality, and economics that maximize commercial growers’ objectives.  At CannMed 26, David presented a poster titled, “Two novel lighting strategies to reduce operational expenses while boosting quality and yield” During our conversation, we discuss: What makes lighting the biggest controllable cost lever in commercial cannabis cultivation What causes photobleaching and white-tipping, and why it’s more detrimental to bag appeal than cannabinoid or terpene content How the Red Sandwich strategy pairs top and under-canopy lighting to boost efficiency without inducing photobleaching How growers can calculate ROI on lighting upgrades and improvements and more  This Episode’s Sponsor: Cannabis Research Coalition  The Cannabis Research Center & Coalition (CRC), founded by Dr. Allison Justice, is a professional group dedicated to advancing cannabis cultivation and post harvest processing.  Their cooperative research model, inspired by successful horticulture and greenhouse research collaborations, allows members to benefit from pooled resources, gaining access to cutting-edge, science-based research at a fraction of the cost.  Learn more at cannabisrc.org  Additional Resources Fluence on YouTube David Hawley’s peer-reviewed studies University of Guelph — Dr. Youbin Zheng’s lab Utah State University — Dr. Bruce Bugbee’s lab Wageningen University (Netherlands) — Dr. Leo Marcelis CannMed Video Archive

Dr. Carrie Cuttler is currently a Co-Director of the Cannabis Research Center (CRC) at Washington State University Center (WSU). She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at WSU. Carrie directs research in The Health and Cognition (THC) lab that focuses on examining both the beneficial and detrimental effects of cannabis and cannabinoids. Her recent work focuses on examining the therapeutic potential of cannabigerol (CBG), as well as effects of chronic cannabis use and acute cannabis intoxication on cognition (e.g., memory, creativity, executive functioning), mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, autism, OCD, PTSD, ADHD), physical health (e.g., pain, sleep) and stress. At CannMed 26, Carrie presented a poster titled “Attention Please! Effects of Chronic and Acute Cannabis Use on Cognition and Symptoms of ADHD” During our conversation, we discuss: Why people with ADHD are more likely to use cannabis and what they report it helps with The details of Carrie’s study which compared the acute effects of cannabis on regualr users with and without ADHD as well as non-users with and without ADHD How participants with ADHD showed reduced impulsivity on objective cognitive tests when under the influence of cannabis, not just self-report Why those same participants also showed worse performance on five other cognitive measures at the same time What Carrie’s next study looks like, including her interest in testing CBG (a non-intoxicating cannabinoid) for ADHD The key limitations of the study and takeawys for clinicians and patients Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Society of Cannabis Clinicians The Society of Cannabis Clinicians (SCC) is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to advancing evidence-based education, research, and clinical practice in medical cannabis.  On September 4th, the SCC is hosting a VIRTUAL version of its MedCannCon Conference titled Cannabis at the Crossroads—Integrating Cannabis into Modern Healthcare. The conference will focus on three timely issues:  Harm reduction, patient safety and access The rapidly evolving regulatory landscape surrounding hemp, cannabis, and federal policy Women’s health across the lifespan Learn more and register at cannabisclinicians.org

Manny Maminakis is the inventor and CEO of Cannamatrix INC, a cannabis bioinfomratics platform. Prior to Cannamatrix, Manny spent 12 years in the cannabis industry as an award winning cannabis cultivator and edible chef. At CannMed 26, he presented a poster titled “Computational Identification of Volatile Sulfur Compound Synthase Homologs in Cannabis sativa Using Profile Hidden Markov Models” During our conversation, we discuss: What volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) are and why they give certain cannabis strains their skunky, garlicky smell How Manny’s path from cannabis cultivator and award-winning edible chef led him into bioinformatics at Canimatrix Why the GMO (“garlic mushroom onion”) cultivar was chosen as the ideal candidate for studying VSCs How hidden Markov models were used to find candidate VSC genes by comparing cannabis proteins to garlic, onion, and other sulfur-producing plants And more! Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Cannamatrix Cannamatrix is a genetic software company that empowers growers to select the best of the best from their seed stock. Their patented system of genetic testing with predictive algorithms helps growers harness the maximum potential of Cannabis while preserving the natural genetic makeup and reducing resource allocation, and saving time and money! Visit cannamatrix.com to learn more Related Resources Computational Identification of Candidate Gene Families for Volatile Sulfur Compound Biosynthesis in Cannabis sativa Using Profile Hidden Markov Models @MannytheCannaBiologist on IG Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

Dr. Kristofer Marsh is the Chief Scientific Officer of Smithers Cannabis Testing Services Division, as well the State Director for Smithers’ New York laboratory. He has over 9 years of experience in the Cannabis testing industry spanning operations in 11 U.S. states and is a member of the Cannabis Science Section with the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL). At CannMed 26, Kris presented “Pyrocannabinoids: An investigation into smoked cannabinoid isolates” During our conversation, we discuss: What pyrocannabinoids are and how they’re formed Why THCA, CBD, and THCV isolates were chosen as the focus of the study What new cannabinoids were created after those isolates were combusted How this change in cannabinoids raises questions about the entourage effect in smoked versus ingested cannabis Next steps for pyrocannabinoid research Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision of the American Chemical Society (CANN) Since 2015, CANN has been building a strong network of scientists in the cannabis space to promote scientific innovation, safety, and development through education, research, and the empowerment of the scientific community. To learn more about what CANN has to offer please visit their website at www.cann-acs.org. Additional Resources Real Isolates Smithers Connect with Kris on Linkedin Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

Alisha Holloway is the Chief Scientific Officer at Phylos where she leads the R&D group that focuses on foundational genomic research, development of high-throughput genetic and chemical testing capabilities, discovery of genetic markers, and the development of new cannabis varieties via classical and marker-assisted breeding. At CannMed 26, she will present “Enhancing Cannabis Quality via Marker-Assisted Selection for Improved Solventless Extraction Yield” During our conversation, we discuss: What solventless extraction is and why it’s gaining popularity The traits that make a cannabis plant a “good washer” How Alisha’s team designed and conducted a washability study across hundreds of plant samples How they identified genetic markers for good washers that hold up across diverse genetic backgrounds How marker-assisted selection accelerates the breeding process Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Cannabis Research Center & Coalition The Cannabis Research Center & Coalition (CRC), founded by Dr. Allison Justice, is a professional group dedicated to advancing cannabis cultivation and post harvest processing. CRC partners with Universities and The Hemp Mine LLC, an industry leader in cannabis genetics and production, to tackle the cultivation and post harvest challenges facing today’s cannabis industry. Their cooperative research model, inspired by successful horticulture and greenhouse research collaborations, allows members to benefit from pooled resources, gaining access to cutting-edge, science-based research at a fraction of the cost. Learn more at cannabisrc.org Additional Resources Phylos.bio, Instagram, Linkedin [Blog] What Makes a Cannabis Variety “Wash Well”? The Science Behind High-Yield Hash Plants https://www.instagram.com/shwale/ Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

Morgan Keefer is a Board Member for the Institute of Cannabis Science, and an experienced cannabis testing laboratory accreditation professional. She has presented at conferences, including CannMed, Pittcon, and Cannabis Science Conference regarding the importance of inter-laboratory comparison and method validation for the cannabis industry. At CannMed 26, Morgan will present Frequently Identified Nonconformances Applicable to Cannabis Testing, which will explore some of the challeges that come with operating a cannabis lab as well as opportunities for improvement. During our conversation, we discuss: Cannabis labs must be ISO/IEC 17025 accredited to prove they are competent to test for potency, contaminants, and other critical safety markers that protect consumers. Inconsistent state regulations and federal illegality create unique challenges for cannabis labs, including the need to rapidly validate new test methods as rules change. Sample manipulation by producers (i.e., bleaching samples or inflating potency) is a real problem that undermines lab results and puts consumers at risk. Many labs fall short on method validation and measurement uncertainty, sometimes reporting results for years without fully validating their methods across all product types. Consumers can protect themselves by requesting certificates of analysis, asking labs to confirm their results directly, and watching for measurement uncertainty disclosures. Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: CANN Since 2015, CANN has been building a strong network of scientists in the cannabis space to promote scientific innovation, safety, and development through education, research, and the empowerment of the scientific community. To learn more about what CANN has to offer please visit their website at www.cann-acs.org. Additional Resources Institute of Cannabis Science Tip Line – [email protected]  Coalition for Cannabis Worker Safety – [email protected] Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

Dr. Harold Hom is the Founder of PhytoRX. He has dedicated his career to the art and science of nanoemulsions, transforming plant-derived active ingredients into stable, predictable and effective formulations. He founded PhytoRX is to bring consistency and efficacy into the plant-based therapeutics, and  give clinicians a tool they can confidently use. At CannMed 26, Harold will Moderate a panel titled “Drink Your Cannabionoids – How it changes cannabis research and patient care”, which brings together leading clinicians, researchers, and innovators to explore how emulsion-based cannabinoids are improving outcomes in oncology, geriatrics, and clinical trials.  During our conversation, we discuss:  How cannabis emulsion technology solvers composition, degradation, and absorption challenges in medical cannabis How turning oil-based cannabinoids into water-compatible emulsions improves bioavailability, dosing precision, and patient adherence How emulsion-based products improve the “therapeutic window” via predictable PK profiles that smoking, tinctures, and edibles can’t match Why drinking cannabinoids better fits patients’ existing habits, afterall, people are already drinking fluids throughout the day. A preview of the CannMed Emulsion Panel  and more  Thanks to this Episode’s Sponsor: PhytoRX  PhytoRX was born from the expertise of Vertosa, a pioneer in advanced infusion technology with years of experience delivering precision and consistency for next-generation botanical therapeutics. The product improves on traditional cannabinoid formats by delivering accurate dosing, rapid absorption, optimized bioavailability, and ease of use.  Go to phytorx.co to learn more, and if you decide to give it a try, use promocode CannMed at checkout to get 15% off. Additional Resources PhytoRX Register for CannMed 26 Today

Dr. Hemant Kumar Bid is a top educator in the field of Biotechnology and Medical cannabis. He serves as Program Director for the Morehouse School of Medicine, using his extensive background in biotechnology research and cannabinoid research to educate graduate students and infuse the industry with science-backed legitimacy. Recently, Hemant has become deeply engaged with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through his academic, clinical, and program development work.  During our conversation we discuss: How AI and machine learning are accelerating drug discovery, enabling personalized treatment, and analyzing complex genomic and clinical data. How the Morehouse School of Medicine is updating its biotechnology curriculum to integrate AI/ML  Why the accuracy of AI predictions depends entirely on data quality fed into the models, making standardization, diverse representation, and clean datasets critical for success How AI can help reduce trial-and-error prescribing in favor of personalized care for specific patient conditions, optimized dosing, and potential adverse effects and/or drug interactions. Major challenges that need to be overcome before AI and ML can truely transform medical cannabis treatment.  Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Tikun Olam Tikun Olam is the world’s first licensed medical cannabis company. With over 20 years of clinical cannabis research, Tikun Olam has conducted 7 clinical trials and published over two dozen academic journal studies using its heirloom cultivars. Tikun Olam products are designed for specific needs: pain relief, better sleep, digestive comfort, and neurological balance — all standardized for consistent, predictable results. If you’re curious to learn more about their products or research, they even offer a free one-on-one consultation with a licensed nurse. Shop online or find a dispensary at tikunolam.com Additional Resources Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast

Ansley Burtch is a Post-Baccalaureate Scholar in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee. Her undergraduate and post-baccalaureate research focuses on plant-pathogen interactions using computational genomics and transcriptomic approaches. She has also investigated the production of toxins by fungi and their impacts on human health.  At CannMed 26 she will present “Decoding Natural Viroid Tolerance: Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of HLVd Response in Cannabis”. During our conversation, we discuss: Why the research team decided to pursue natural tolerance as a Hop Latent Viroid defense strategy rather than resistance Real-world observations that identified the Jamaican Lion cultivar as having a natural tolerance that keeps the viroid localized in the roots Creating a chromosome-scale genome assembly of Jamaican Lion to enable more confident identification of candidate genes and pathways involved in tolerance. Early findings suggesting the viroid activates genes that control root metabolism, as well as the anthocyanin and betalin pathways, during infection. The long-term goal, to identify specific genetic markers linked to tolerance so breeders can intentionally select for viroid-tolerant cultivars. Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients Advanced Nutrients will once again be a partner level sponsor for the CannMed 26 Summit and this year they have put together an amazing package for cultivators.  Advanced Cultivator Package which includes  Full Access to all the presentations, networking events, and meals at the CannMed 26 summit  Accomodations at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe  An elite package of Advanced Nutrients 8th Gen Fertilizers – enough for a complete crop valued at $11,126* 1x StrainSEEK® Whole Genome Sequence, valued at $547Provided By: Medicinal Genomics In all worth upwards of $14,000, but you can get it for just $3,499  Check out the details at cannmedevents.com/packages  Additional Resources Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast