Brock University will begin two research projects focusing on cannabis after becoming one of Canada’s first universities to obtain a cannabis-related research and development licence from Health Canada.
One of the research projects, which will be led by Debbie Inglis, a biochemistry professor, and Sudarsana Poojari, an adjunct professor of biological sciences, will aim to improve the quality and health of cannabis plants being grown primarily for medicinal use.
Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Donald Ziraldo, chair of Heritage Cannabis Corp., has partnered with Brock on the project.
“We identified a problem with our plants showing some signs of stress and we instantly knew the researchers at Brock could figure it out,” Ziraldo said in a media statement.
The second project will focus on researching cannabis extractables for stability in different products.
The university will work with industry partner Mavcan, a cannabis-infused drink company launched by Maverick Distillery. Mavcan is in the final stage of becoming a Health Canada-licensed producer of cannabis-induced products.
Craig Peters, the founder and CEO of Maverick Distillery and Mavcan, said working with Brock is “vital” to keeping the company at the forefront of the industry for cannabis-infused beverages.
“Through our partnership with Brock University, Mavcan is leveraging cutting-edge separation and downstream processing technologies to isolate and refine high-value cannabinoid molecules,” Peters said in a media statement.
After receiving the cannabis-related research and development licence, the university plans to propose more research projects to Health Canada.