CBD injections to help epilepsy, pain relief.
Cannabis has been found anecdotally to treat epilepsy. The mode of action is inhibiting neurotransmitters in the brain. But turning parts of a plant into an actual pharmaceutical can take years, even decades to figure out dosing, efficacy and to check safety protocols. An Israeli-Canadian company Innocan, traded on the Canadian stock exchange (CSE: INNO) (FSE: IP4) (OTCQB: INNPF) is trying to tackle pain relief and epilepsy by injected a CBD formulation along with a lipid so it can linger longer in the body.
In a new study in animals they say their CBD-based injection that can last several weeks in the blood, passing through to the brain where it can offer relief potentially for weeks.
The proof-of-concept study found that CBD could be found in the brains of both mice and rabbits weeks after a formulation of CBD and liposomes was subcutaneously injected to them. These results show a strong correlation between the prolonged blood exposure of CBD and its brain distribution. Their delivery technology called LPT keeps the CBD in the bloodstream enabling CBD to pass the blood brain barrier (BBB) and deliver long brain exposure over time.
“The company is encouraged by these study results,” said Eyal Kalo, Innocan’s R&D Director. Sufficient exposure of CBD in the brain is the hallmark of CBD therapy associated with various neurological conditions, he says.
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CBD or cannabidiol has demonstrated positive effects in association with various neurological disorders. Besides its well-established anti-epileptic activity, CBD can also protect brains pathology via the activation of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms.
For example, CBD was demonstrated to efficiently protect brain cells from Alzheimer-induced degeneration, reducing the onset of the diseases. In addition, CBD can protect from damage that occurs following an ischemic brain stroke leading to better tissue regeneration and patient recuperation. CBD was shown to have strong beneficial effects in other neurological conditions such as autism or schizophrenia emphasizing its high contribution in improving behavioral impairment usually associated with such pathologies.
The fact that LPT-CBD successively delivers CBD to the brain in a long-lasting manner opens a big venue for the treatment of various neurological disorders.
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According to physicians Green Prophet has interviewed, they suggest a small amount of THC administered to each therapy in order for the CBD to have a maximum effect. THC is the pyscho-active compound in cannabis and its use is still illegal in some US states. Medical marijuana and recreational cannabis is legal in Canada making it easier for approvals for Health Canada to oversee studies and regulations.
CBD is typically take in drops infused in oil but once the compound hits the stomach it is quickly digested by gut enzymes, leaving less of the treatment to enter the blood system. Delivering the drug this way makes it harder to dose patients and a drug would need to be taken several times a day for efficacy. Innocan, in theory, offer a drug delivery mechanism for all types of CBD therapies tackling a wide range of needs.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
