Glass Pharms and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre at The James Hutton Institute have announced a collaboration to conduct a groundbreaking medical cannabis research program. The project has been funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The three-year project aims to address the growing demand for medicinal cannabis by standardizing the product to meet pharmaceutical quality standards through environment manipulation and the development of new cannabis plant architectures.
The research, based in Dundee, will utilize Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) technologies to create a consistent product and help the UK maintain its position as the world’s largest producer and exporter of medicinal cannabis.
The plants will be grown to maturity at Glass Pharms’ 2.4-hectare semi-closed glasshouse facility, which incorporates advanced sensor technology to track environmental conditions and plant growth. A robotics-based container system will also move the plants through different climate zones within the glasshouse, optimizing consistent growth across multiple harvests.
Leading the research is Professor Derek Stewart, Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre, who stated, “This is an exciting project for the James Hutton Institute team to be involved with. We will play an important role in furthering pharmaceutical quality of these plants, reinforcing the UK’s importance on the world stage.”
Glass Pharms CEO James Duckenfield added, “We believe that working with the Advanced Plant Growth Centre on this research project will directly lead to better health outcomes for UK patients. The APGC and Glass Pharms’ advanced cultivation facility is the ideal combination to develop and stabilize cannabis cultivars intended for use in medicine.”
The UK legalized medical cannabis in 2018, and it is expected to play an increasingly important role in the country’s life sciences research and medicine manufacturing.
The James Hutton Institute is a leading UK research organization dedicated to the sustainable use of land and natural resources. Its mission is to support economic growth, enhance food security, and drive the development of rural communities through cutting-edge scientific research and innovations. The Advanced Plant Growth Centre is a flagship project at the Hutton, which has received investment through the Tay Cities Region Deal.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is a major funder of world-leading bioscience in the UK. As part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), it plays a pivotal role in fostering connections that enable the UK’s world-class research and innovation system to flourish. It also has the responsibility to enable the creation of a research culture that is diverse, resilient, and engaged.
Glass Pharms is a UK-based licensed cultivator of cannabis exclusively for the pharmaceutical supply chain. The company was established to meet patient demand for a dependable supply of high-quality, UK-produced cannabis-based medicines at a fair price. It achieves this goal through its talented growing team and patent-pending continuous cultivation system, which robotically takes the plants on a 12-week journey through various climate chambers to create an accelerated simulation of a growing year. This innovative environment uses about 40% of the power compared to traditional indoor growing facilities and is powered by off-grid green energy.
The Tay Cities Region Deal is a partnership between local, Scottish and UK governments, and the private, academic, and voluntary sectors. Its goal is to create a smarter and fairer Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth & Kinross. For more information on the progress of the Deal and its achievements in securing investment and jobs, visit the Tay Cities Region Deal website.
For more information, contact info@glasspharms.com. This news article has been distributed by Pressat on behalf of Glass Pharms and the Advanced Plant Growth Centre at The James Hutton Institute.
