U of L completes study for new Parkinson’s disease therapy

By Lethbridge Herald on July 12, 2023.

A press release on website newswire.com says Gb Sciences, Inc., a cannabis- and plant-inspired biopharmaceutical research and development company, has successfully completed a dose response study in rodents at the University of Lethbridge that supports Gb Sciences’ cannabinoid-based therapy for Parkinson’s disease.

“The study has established dose ranges and the corresponding times to onset and duration of action in a rodent model. In addition to the dosage range findings, this study demonstrated that Gb Sciences’ Parkinson’s disease formulations were well tolerated, and there were no adverse effects.

“As early as next year, Gb Sciences plans on filing an Investigational New Drug Application to begin first-in-human clinical trials. As the second most common neurodegenerative disease, the market for Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatments is expected to grow to $12.8 billion by 2028,” says the release.

“Gb Sciences is developing a first-in-class, cannabinoid-based treatment for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease,” says Andrea Small-Howard, President, Chief Science Officer and board member of Gb Sciences, Inc. in the release.

“From this critical study, we have established ranges for the dosage and duration of action in a rodent model that helps us to predict the corresponding and appropriate dose range and duration of action of Gb Sciences’ Parkinson’s disease therapies for our first-in-human trial. Additionally, this study augments our safety data and suggests that our novel therapeutic may also help alleviate the significant non-motor symptoms of the disease such as problems with sleeping and appetite.”

The dose response study in rodents performed at ULethbridge helps to establish the correct dosing of Gb Sciences’ cannabinoid-containing Parkinson’s formulations for a first-in-human trial.

Robert Sutherland, Ph.D., FRSC, Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the University, Board of Governors Research Chair in Neuroscience and Director of the Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience, used deep learning models to analyze the rich data sets from their “Home Cage Small World” behavioural assessments of rodents with video cameras and Artificial Intelligence, using a system developed by Neurocage Systems Ltd. Future studies confirming the mechanism of action of these cannabinoid-based Parkinson’s formulations are planned with Sutherland’s research group at ULethbridge using their state-of-the-art behavioural measurement methods for rodents.