Cannabis Sativa Reference Plant for Pharmacological Comparator Extracts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cannabis plants used for medicinal purposes produce cannabinoids, which can complicate the understanding of their pharmacological effects, as these compounds may not be solely responsible for the plant's activity, and there is a need for a plant that does not express cannabinoids but retains significant entourage compounds to create comparator extracts for clinical trials and pharmaceutical production.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the selective crossing of a cannabinoid-free plant (USO-31) with high cannabinoid content plants to produce Cannabis sativa plants that do not express cannabinoids but express entourage compounds like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and flavonoids in quantities similar to medicinal plants, using stalked glandular trichomes and specific breeding techniques to achieve the desired chemotype.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cannabis plants are used for medicinal purposes, then they produce cannabinoids which may have pharmacological effects, but it becomes difficult to understand the true pharmacological effects as other compounds may also be responsible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes cannabinoids from the cannabis plant system by introducing a knockout gene (THCAS or CBDAS) that prevents cannabinoid synthesis, while retaining the plant's ability to produce entourage compounds. This extraction of the problematic element (cannabinoids) allows for isolated study of other pharmacologically active compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the chemical profile of cannabis by selectively eliminating cannabinoids while preserving other compound classes (terpenes, flavonoids, phenolics). This creates a divided system where different chemical components can be studied independently or in controlled combinations.
2Reliability
If a plant is created that does not express cannabinoids, then it can serve as a comparator for clinical trials, but it must still retain significant entourage compounds to be chemically similar to medicinal cannabis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the cannabis plant by knocking out specific cannabinoid synthesis genes while maintaining or enhancing the production of other secondary metabolites. The resulting plant has altered chemical composition (zero cannabinoids) but preserved structural integrity and other active compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality modification by specifically targeting cannabinoid production pathways while leaving other metabolic pathways intact. The knockout gene affects only cannabinoid synthesis in the glandular trichomes, while other compound production continues normally in the same structures.
3Ease of manufacture
If selective crossing is used to produce cannabinoid-free plants, then a reference plant can be obtained for pharmaceutical production, but the breeding process requires multiple generations to achieve desired chemotype
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-selecting parental lines with specific traits (USO-31 as cannabinoid-free parent) and pre-establishing the knockout gene in the breeding program. This preliminary preparation accelerates the breeding process compared to starting from random populations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the medicinal cannabis chemotype that is chemically identical except for the absence of cannabinoids. The reference plant replicates the entourage compound profile of medicinal cannabis, serving as a faithful copy for comparative studies.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2A
AI summary
The present invention relates to a novel reference plant, a method for producing a novel reference plant, extracts free of a medicinally active compound or group of compounds obtained therefrom and their use. More particularly, the novel reference plant is a plant derived from a comparator plant. In an exemplifying embodiment the medicinal compounds, which are "knocked out", are one or more cannabinoids and the plant is a cannabis, Cannabis sativa, plant.