On July 05, 2016 PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB:PMCB), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing targeted treatments for cancer and diabetes using its signature live-cell encapsulation technology, Cell-in-a-Box, reported that a recently published scientific article supports PharmaCyte’s ongoing research efforts that concern medical uses for constituents of Cannabis known as cannabinoids (Press release, PharmaCyte Biotech, JUL 5, 2016, View Source [SID:1234513713]). The article titled "Amyloid proteotoxicity initiates an inflammatory response blocked by cannabinoids" was published in the journal, Aging and Mechanisms of Disease and appeared online on June 23, 2016. The article can be viewed in its entirety at View Source
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The Chief Executive Officer of PharmaCyte, Kenneth L. Waggoner, commented, "This research again demonstrates the potential benefit of cannabinoids in treating deadly and debilitating diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Our Cell-in-a-Box live-cell encapsulation technology provides a unique, versatile and natural platform for the delivery of potentially beneficial cannabinoids. It is PharmaCyte’s goal to use the combination of the Cell-in-a-Box technology and cannabinoids or cannabinoid-like compounds to develop effective and safe treatments for some of the deadliest forms of cancer for which such treatments do not presently exist, such as cancer of the pancreas, brain and breast, which affect hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide every year."
The studies reported in the article, conducted by researchers at The Salk Institute for Biologic Studies and the University of California San Diego, showed that the inflammatory response initiated by "beta amyloid plaque" is blocked by cannabinoids. Beta amyloid plaque is an aggregating protein that has been linked to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. Accumulation of toxic beta amyloid plaque within nerve cells results in inflammation and nerve cell death. It is believed to be an early event in the development of many conditions associated with old age. The study showed that marijuana-derived cannabinoid molecules, such as tetrahydrocannabinol, stimulate the removal of beta amyloid plaque between neurons, block the inflammatory response and are thus protective against nerve cell death. This is the first study to show that cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells. The implications are broad as there are currently no available drugs that significantly inhibit the cell death that is associated with these diseases.