U of L chosen for innovative Parkinson’s research

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on April 19, 2022.

Gb Science has chosen the University of Lethbridge as the site to complete a dose range study for the biopharmaceutical research and development company’s patent-protected formulations in a rodent model of Parkinson’s Disease.
“Gb Sciences is an innovator in drug discovery and development, and they have promising drug candidates for the treatment of Parkinsonian movement disorders. With the state-of-the-art behavioural measurement methods at the University of Lethbridge and the exceptional innovative programs, this promises to be an outstanding, productive partnership,” said Dr. Robert Sutherland, professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at ULethbridge, in a press release.
Sutherland also serves as Board of Governors Research Chair in Neuroscience and director of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience.
The study will determine the dose range of active ingredients that will be used in human trials and potentially determine side effects. The dose response studies are expected to commence next month.
“Using rodent models of PD-motor symptoms, we should be able to predict the appropriate dose range and duration of action of Gb Sciences’ PD therapies for its first-in-human trial,” says Sutherland.
“Our drug discovery process has identified ratio-specific mixtures of cannabinoids that achieved the statistically significant reduction of Parkinsonian movement symptoms in an animal model; thus establishing our proof-of-concept for this therapeutic program,” says Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, president and chief science officer of Gb Sciences. “Now, working with the University of Lethbridge, we are taking a major step forward by testing these cannabinoid ratio-specific formulations to establish the dose range for our first-in-human clinical trial.”
Gb Sciences plans on filing an Investigational New Drug Application to begin first-in-human clinical trials as early as next year. As the second most common neurodegenerative disease, the market for Parkinson’s disease treatments is expected to grow to $8.8 billion by 2026.
To learn more about Gb Sciences, visit www.gbsciences.com.