Study: Scientists modified a strain of cannabis to kill cancer cells
It is known far and wide that there are many chemical compounds inside the Cannabis plant that could prove to be beneficial for the human body. Especially CBD, which is the most common compound found in a Cannabis plant is effective in treating many types of diseases. There have been many presumptions about CBD and cancer but a recent study put things to bed and make everything crystal clear.
Cancer researcher Matt Dun, of the University of Newcastle in Australia, recently revealed that a modified strain of cannabis can destroy certain types of cancer cells while remaining harmless to the rest of the body. This research was going on for about 3 years and the researcher worked in collaboration with the Australian Natural Therapeutics Group (ANTG).
In a press release, Matt Dun said “ANTG wanted me to test it against cancer, so we initially used leukemia cells and were really surprised by how sensitive they were. At the same time, the cannabis didn’t kill normal bone marrow cells, nor normal healthy neutrophils [white blood cells]’’.
“We then realized there was a cancer-selective mechanism involved, and we’ve spent the past couple of years trying to find the answer.” He said.
The researchers ran many trials including a number of cannabis strains. Some of them had the majority concentration of THC and an insignificant concentration of CBD while some strains had CBD and lacking the THC content.
Furthermore, Dr. Matt Dun also said “There are trials around the world testing cannabis formulations containing THC as a cancer treatment, but if you’re on that therapy your quality of life is impacted. You can’t drive, for example, and clinicians are justifiably reluctant to prescribe a child something that could cause hallucinations or other side-effects’’.
“The CBD variety looks to have greater efficacy, low toxicity, and fewer side-effects, which potentially makes it an ideal complementary therapy to combine with other anti-cancer compounds.”
“The CBD variety looks to have greater efficacy, low toxicity, and fewer side-effects, which potentially makes it an ideal complementary therapy to combine with other anti-cancer compounds.”
The next phase for the study includes investigating what makes cancer cells sensitive and normal cells not, whether it is clinically relevant, and whether a variety of cancers respond.
He also added, “We need to understand the mechanism so we can find ways to add other drugs that amplify the effect, and week by week we’re getting more clues. It’s really exciting and important if we want to move this into a therapeutic’’.
“Hopefully our work will help to lessen the stigma behind prescribing cannabis, particularly varieties that have minimal side-effects, especially if used in combination with current standard-of-care therapies and radiotherapy. Until then, though, people should continue to seek advice from their usual medical practitioner.” - Source - NewCastle
Studies like this from Matt Dun are inspiring scientists from around the world to do more research into Cannabis and find more medical uses of Cannabis. Many experts have shared their concerns about not having large-scale experiments on Cannabis to find about more compounds inside the plant. But many recent studies revealed the Cannabis ''may'' treat cancer symptoms but now we know for sure that Cannabis can actually ease the symptoms as well as kill the cancerous cells in our body.
But, is this study enough to convince medical experts that Cannabis could actually treat and kill cancer cells? I don’t think so. At this point, even after the legalization of Cannabis, doctors and medical experts are still not prescribing medical cannabis to their patients and still considering it as a gateway drug. We’ll need more studies and testing to convince these people that Cannabis is the key element in treating cancer.
He also added, “We need to understand the mechanism so we can find ways to add other drugs that amplify the effect, and week by week we’re getting more clues. It’s really exciting and important if we want to move this into a therapeutic’’.
“Hopefully our work will help to lessen the stigma behind prescribing cannabis, particularly varieties that have minimal side-effects, especially if used in combination with current standard-of-care therapies and radiotherapy. Until then, though, people should continue to seek advice from their usual medical practitioner.” - Source - NewCastle
Studies like this from Matt Dun are inspiring scientists from around the world to do more research into Cannabis and find more medical uses of Cannabis. Many experts have shared their concerns about not having large-scale experiments on Cannabis to find about more compounds inside the plant. But many recent studies revealed the Cannabis ''may'' treat cancer symptoms but now we know for sure that Cannabis can actually ease the symptoms as well as kill the cancerous cells in our body.
But, is this study enough to convince medical experts that Cannabis could actually treat and kill cancer cells? I don’t think so. At this point, even after the legalization of Cannabis, doctors and medical experts are still not prescribing medical cannabis to their patients and still considering it as a gateway drug. We’ll need more studies and testing to convince these people that Cannabis is the key element in treating cancer.
