Special Report: Neurotech International (ASX:NTI) has begun in vitro cell studies to assess the neuro-protective, anti-inflammatory and neuro-modulatory activities of seven special cannabis strains it recently acquired the rights to.

Neurotech says the testing will be completed by three independent scientific laboratories at Monash University, the University of Wollongong and RMIT in Melbourne.

It’s all part of Neurotech’s research into using cannabinoids for medicinal use in treating neurological disorders such as autism, epilepsy and ADHD.

The labs will assess the activities of the cannabinoid strains on human neuroblast cells as well as microglial cells and assays.

The strains were selected for further research following tests on 80 different cannabinoid strains that Neurotech licensed from an Australian hemp grower who’d been cultivating them for 20 years after importing them from China.

“Neurotech is one of the first groups in the world to carry out these cell lines studies on newly discovered cannabinoid varieties including CBDA, CBDP and CBDB,” says Neurotech chairman Mark Davies.

“These studies will be an exciting development and contribution to the medicinal cannabis research field.

“These studies will also assess the activities of the newly discovered cannabinoids, CBDP and CBDB. In vitro studies are a powerful way of ascertaining the bio-efficacy of these strains prior to commencing clinical trials.

“These studies will enable NTI to determine the safety, bio-efficacy and dose response.”

The next steps

Results are expected by November, Neurotech says, and based on the findings of this work, the company plans to commence clinical trials on using the cannabinoids to treat neurological disorders such as autism and ADHD.

The company says the clinical trials may be small scale, just involving a handful of children, with the goal of making a tincture, spray or oil extract available via Australia’s Special Access Scheme.

If successful it would offer parents of children with ADHD an alternative to drugs such as Ritalin.

This article was developed in collaboration with Neurotech International, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.