The State University of Campinas (Unicamp) and Entourage Phytolab have just announced an agreement for the development of research on varieties of cannabis exclusively for medicinal use. This is the second agreement negotiated by Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency with the company focused on the therapeutic purposes of cannabis, which will only begin after the security of the space has been adapted and authorized by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
The research project is called "Selection of Genotypes of Cannabis sativa L. for the Production of Medicines" and will be carried out in conjunction with the Multidisciplinary Center for Biological and Agricultural Chemical Research (CPQBA) from Unicamp over a period of 28 months.
"The objective is to describe the medicinal, productive and genetic characteristics of 240 varieties of cannabis, which will be cultivated in controlled growth chambers, called phytotrons", explains Ílio Montanari Jr., project coordinator and curator of the medicinal plants collection at CPQBA Unicamp.
"People tend to think that every plant cannabis is the same, but the truth is that there are many different varieties. Research allows us to select the most resistant, productive and most suitable for each treatment, paving the way for the development of innovative medicines that are even safer, more effective and accessible", says Caio Santos Abreu, CEO of Entourage Phytolab.
Newton Frateschi, executive director of Inova Unicamp, highlights that the second agreement with Entourage demonstrates the success of university-company interaction focused on the health area. “It is a clear case in which research and development at the University can become a product with great impact on society.”
The start of the research still depends on approval from Anvisa for the controlled cultivation of plant varieties and only for research purposes. The plants will be grown exclusively within three phytotrons, which control temperature, air humidity, photoperiod and light intensity.
In order to guarantee the safety of the research samples, the cultivation site will be monitored 24 hours a day by a security system implemented at CPQBA by Entourage Phytolab, as provided for in the agreement, including strict access control with biometric identification, doors double cameras and remote monitoring.
Entourage is the company responsible for the project costs, from identification and acquisition of seeds to renovations and acquisition of equipment, which will only occur after Unicamp obtains the Authorization for the Teaching and Research Establishment (AEP) of the project from Anvisa.
