- Biosynthesis technology making strong advances
- Two promising pipeline candidates
- Inclusion in the CSE25 Index
To date, over 90+ different cannabinoids have been isolated from the Cannabis sativa plant, the two best known being delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the ‘high’ derived from marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD). Research into their pharmacological properties has shown that cannabinoids are not all created equally, however: some matter more than others, from a manufacturing process point-of-view. Four key gateway cannabinoids hold the door through which all others must pass: CBGA, CBNA, CBGV, and CBGVA. Following the most prevalent synthesis pathway in the plant, CBGA is formed from precursors; downstream enzymes then determine if CBGA diversifies to become tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabichromene acid (CBCA), or cannabigerol (CBG). Then, further reactions by synthases give rise to a multitude of the most common cannabinoids that so richly endow the plant, including THC and CBD.
InMed’s progress brings scale-up and commercialization of its disruptive biosynthesis process closer to fruition. Traditionally, sourcing cannabinoids has been accomplished by growing, harvesting, processing and purifying (via extraction) the cannabis plant. The extraction process can be expensive, and can result in unwanted by-products and impurities. Biosynthesis mimics the cannabinoid-creation process found in plants by utilizing a microbial host, resulting in pure, individual cannabinoids that will be devoid of the by-products and impurities seen with extraction. The InMed approach is to introduce cannabinoid DNA into E. coli bacteria that results in a biofermentation process, enabling a laboratory-based process under tightly controlled conditions. The process can be tailored to produce any of the 90+ “downstream” cannabinoids found naturally in the cannabis plant. InMed’s biosynthesis program will provide an alternative to the agricultural approach in a low cost and high quality process. Currently, the Company is actively employing this production chassis to biosynthesize compounds for its pharmaceutical research programs. The possibilities of future growth opportunities are expanded significantly as InMed’s proprietary process may serve as foundation to supply cannabinoids to the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, medical marijuana and even recreational sectors. What is the potential size of this market? GreenWave Advisors has stated the market for a single cannabinoid, CBD, could grow to $3 billion by 2021 in the US. alone.
Further signaling its rising fortune, InMed has announced (http://nnw.fm/8cO99) it is now part of the CSE25 Index, qualifying for the index as one of the twenty-five largest companies by market capitalization on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE).
InMed currently has two lead candidates in its drug pipeline. The first, INM-750, is for the treatment of a rare genetic skin disorder, called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), affecting roughly one out of every 20,000 births in the United States. The condition, which currently has no approved treatment or cure, has been called “The Worst Disease You’ve Never Heard Of” by the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America. INM-750 works two ways. First, it addresses the primary hallmarks of the disease: wound-healing, pain, inflammation, itch, and infection. Second, this compound may have the potential to reverse the course of the disease itself in some patients by upregulating compensatory keratins in the skin to replace defective ones.
The second candidate is INM-085 for the treatment of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. The drug reduces the elevated intra-ocular pressure that is often associated with glaucoma. It is targeting a large market. The National Institutes of Health estimates that more than 3 million Americans currently have glaucoma.
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