Cannformatics has announced results from their study on autism spectrum disorder that identifies cannabis-responsive biomarkers in children.
This is the first study to examine the saliva of children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) treated with different cannabis or CBD products. The study establishes cannabis-response biomarkers as a universal measurement of cannabis impact.
It shows potential for these biomarkers as a powerful tool in quantifying at the metabolic level, the success of medical cannabis treatment for children with ASD.
The study was published in the journal, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. The participants in the study were racially, ethnically and socio-economically diverse and consisted of boys and girls ranging between six and twelve years old.
They were assessed by a multi-disciplinary team of experts from biochemistry, bioinformatics, paediatrics, data science, integrative oncology, emergency medicine and the medical cannabis industry.
The children followed a unique regimen determined by their response to medical cannabis for at least a year before the start of the study. The cannabis and CBD products were provided by a dispensary in California in the form of tinctures and edibles.
They were split into two groups with 60 per cent of the children receiving CBD dominant cannabis and then 40 per cent receiving THC dominant cannabis.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
ASD is a developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with the world. The National Autistic Society estimates that one in every 100 people are on the autism spectrum with 700,000 adults and children in the UK. Autistic people may find social interaction difficult while struggling with extreme anxiety, over sensitivity to light or sound, engaging in repetitive behaviour and they may have highly focused hobbies or interests. Each person with ASD is different.
ASD and cannabis
The results also show how the cannabis-responsive biomarkers could be used to provide insights into the improvement of cannabis treatments for people with ADHD as well as other neurological disorders.
Cannformatics is a biotechnology startup that focuses on personalising medical cannabis treatments through the identification of saliva-based cannabis-responsive biomarkers. The company is currently initiating a study of medical cannabis treatment for chronic neuropathic pain.
Itzhak Kurek, PhD, Cannformatics CEO and co-founder said:
“One of our primary goals was to scientifically validate Cannabis-Responsive biomarkers as a universal measurement for evaluating cannabis impact. The publishing of this paper achieves that goal, and it represents over three years of research developing a biomarker technology for objectively determining the impact of commercially available medical cannabis products,
Based on the strong findings from this study, we are expanding our platform development to include chronic neuropathic pain, anxiety, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.”
Donald Abrams, MD, study co-author, Cannformatics Science advisor commented, “This study demonstrates that saliva-based Cannabis-Responsive biomarkers may be a valid tool for clinicians and researchers to use in evaluating the impact of medical cannabis. This opens up new avenues of medical cannabis research that will undoubtedly help patients and their doctors to have more informed conversations about the potential role of medical cannabis in managing symptoms.”
“As a medical cannabis clinician and paediatrician who treats many patients with autism, this study is very exciting because it shows for the first time that the positive outcomes I’m seeing from medical cannabis can be confirmed and quantified with Cannabis-Responsive biomarkers. The changes seen in these biomarker levels in response to medical cannabis treatment will help guide clinicians and parents to optimize treatment in children with autism,” said Bonni Goldstein, MD, Cannformatics clinical advisor.
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