Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd., the technology transfer arm of Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, has entered into a licensing agreement with Greater Cannabis Company, Inc. (GCANRx). The agreement covers the license of Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd’s novel cannabinoid therapeutics focused on the treatment of autism, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Accompanying the licensing agreement is a joint research and development agreement that will focus on continuing the clinical program spearheaded by Dr. Adi Aran, MD, Director of Pediatric Neurology at Shaare Zedek Medical Center,, Board Member of the Israeli Society for Pediatric Neurology, and co-inventor of the novel cannabinoid therapy. Dr. Aran is a world-renowned expert in cannabis research and pediatric neurology and was the principal investigator of the first-ever cannabis research study conducted on autistic children.
Dr. Aran’s pioneering study assessed the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of cannabinoid-based medical cannabis as adjuvant therapy for refractory behavioral problems in children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The results provided very compelling evidence that medical cannabis is an effective therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Conditions in 80% of the children improved, with 62% of parents reporting substantial improvements. Half of the children had improved communication and 40% reported a decrease in anxiety. The same children had not shown improvement with conventional drug therapies. Dr. Aran and his team have now developed a novel combination therapy that is believed to be significantly more effective than the cannabis-only formulation that had been used in the study described above.
“In our previous clinical studies, we took the most severe children who failed any other medications and tried an add-on cannabis therapy, which resulted in a substantial improvement in behavioral problems and social deficit”, said Dr. Aran. “Since then, our team has been working in the lab, and in the clinic, to create a proprietary therapy, which we have now seen works better clinically than just cannabis alone, and which we believe will show more beneficial effects for autism and other neuropsychiatric disorders in controlled clinical studies. We are enthusiastic about the partnership with GCANRx, and the opportunity to bring this therapeutic product to patients and families, worldwide, who are struggling to find hope and relief from autism and other neuropsychiatric-related disorders.”
GCANRx CEO, Aitan Zacharin, had this to say about the partnership. “We are extremely pleased to have entered into this agreement with Shaare Zedek Scientific and Dr Aran. Dr Aran’s global renown as a pioneer in clinical application of cannabis, and his extensive expertise in pediatric neurology and cutting-edge clinical research puts us in a unique position to expand upon his previous work. We believe this newly identified therapeutic is going to open new pathways and opportunities across a range of indications within the pharmaceutical as well as the consumer health and wellness settings. We look forward to working together with Dr. Aran and his team to develop and deliver meaningful therapies, with a shared commitment of improving the lives of those suffering from neuropsychiatric disorders.”
About Shaare Zedek Medical Center
Shaare Zedek Medical Center is a fast-developing center of advanced medicine experiencing particularly dramatic growth over the past decade, treatimg over 850,000 patients annually in more than 30 inpatient departments and an additional 70 outpatient units and clinics with a staff of over 4,500 employees. The hospital’s more than 1,000 physicians are dedicated to scientific and technological advancement to promote the development of medicine both in Israel and around the world. The hospital’s Center for Research and Development has over 300 annual research publications in medical journals in addition to conducting almost 160 clinical trials.
About Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd
Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd is the Technical Transfer Arm of Shaare Zedek Medical Center, established to bridge and connect commercial companies and startups to the medical center, and to facilitate and enable quick and efficient cooperation to advance patient treatment and the medical field. Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd is focused on promoting the hospital’s medical research and development and is responsible for ongoing scientific collaborations with relevant partners in academia, the startup industry, and other local and global corporations. Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd allow their partners to evaluate and integrate technologies and solutions in real clinical settings and to perform pilots and build beta-sites for new and experimental technologies within the center and with the help of the hospital’s staff.
For further information on Shaare Zedek Scientific Ltd: https://madait.co.il/
About GCANRx
GCANRx (OTC: GCAN) is a fully reporting publicly traded biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of cannabinoid therapeutics. The Company conducts medical research, and is pursuing clinical trials, to develop innovative cannabis-based treatments for various medical conditions and their symptoms with an initial focus on neuropsychiatric disorders. GCANRx’s mission is to bring its products to the global market through partnerships with leading cannabis and pharmaceutical companies for the benefit of patients and consumers.
Source: Globe Newswire
About JLM-Biocity
News on the many life science and healthcare companies in the Jerusalem area can be seen at
https://jlm-biocity.org/jlm-biocity-innovations/)
JLM-Biocity is a non-profit organization focused on developing Jerusalem’s bio-community.
We invite you, researcher, professional, investor, and executive to become part of our vision in building Jerusalem’s Biomed eco-system.
If you want your company featured in our blogs or news releases, please contact:
info AT jlm-biocity.org
