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doctor focus
cannapatientcare.com march/april 2022
|
cannabis patient care
To do these pre-IND enabling studies takes probably a year.
It's a long process. If you compare it to the Olympics—these
are the compulsories. This is what you have to do. It's com-
plex, but we have been through it quite a few times so we
know what to expect and how to manage issues that come up.
Q:
What would you like to see change in the
cannabis industry over the next 5 years?
A:
Dr. Woody: I think that cannabis has some useful
aspects. It's effective in treating pediatric seizures. I
think it's helpful in treating post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). I'm quite familiar with that because I was
involved in the Veterans Affairs (VA) PTSD programs. I think to
have purified compounds that don't have side effects would be
good for the whole industry rather than the mixtures that
they're currently using.
180 Life Sciences is not alone in working on this. I see that as
a big plus. We're particularly focusing on inflammation and pain.
Others are focusing on these other indications such as seizures,
post-traumatic stress, and other kinds of anxiety. I think if the
right compounds are made, these could be quite attractive and
helpful to people without any of the major side effects.
Q:
Can you discuss your work on PTSD and the
VA a little more?
A:
Dr. Woody: Before I joined the biopharmaceutical and
biotech industry, I was in the US Navy as an immunologist.
I ran an infectious disease facility in Cairo, Egypt for 4
years, working in infectious disease detection all over eastern Africa.
During the first Gulf War, my team was sent to the Gulf re-
gion because we had a thorough understanding about all
the infectious diseases in the area. Many men and women
in both the Marines and Army were exposed to toxins, radia-
tion, fumes from burning oil, explosions, pesticides, and
other hazards.
About a year-and-a-half ago, because of my experience, I
was asked to join the VA research group on PTSD. These are
disabled Gulf War Syndrome patients. So, I've been working
with them for about a year investigating what caused their
condition and potential therapies for these desperately ill
veterans. They have a whole range of peculiar diseases, and
many are suffering from Gulf War Syndrome.
We're trying to come up with beneficial treatments for
them. Cannabis is one of them.
Q:
Does 180 Life Sciences perform research
studies using cannabis?
A:
Dr. Woody: Yes, we're trying to find out the most potent
compounds in cannabis. One problem with the whole
cannabis and cannabinoid industry is that no one quite
knows how these compounds work. We have concepts and ideas
about which receptors they bind to and which particular
metabolic pathways they influence. But no one's been able to pin
down exactly how they work— even Dr. Mechoulam. We are
looking for the best ones we can to produce the clinical effect
that we want. That's the research that we're doing.
Q:
Is there anything else you would like
to add?
A:
Dr. Woody: The plan for our compounds is going
forward. We know that when we treat rheumatoid
arthritis patients with anti-TNF, we can control the
inflammation, but a lot of them have pain that goes along with
it. If we can find the right compound, we see that this would be
a good place to test it in these patients with arthritis who have
persisting pain.
If we can relieve that and even reduce the inflammation a
little further, that would be highly desirable because there are
a lot of these patients who need new, non-addictive options.
References
(1) https://ir.180lifesciences.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/39/180-
life-sciences-announces-selection-of-lead-synthetic-cbd.
(2) https://ir.180lifesciences.com/news-events/press-releases/
detail/47/180-life-sciences-corp-publishes-pre-clinical.
