Cannabis Science, Inc. (CBIS) Featured in A&U Magazine Regarding Potential Utility of Cannabinoids to Address Emerging Crisis of HIV Drug Resistance
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Nov. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — (NASDAQ OTC: CBIS) Cannabis Science, Inc., a U.S. Company specializing in cannabis formulation-based drug development, highlights two articles validating Cannabis Science’s research premise addressing the utility of cannabinoid-mediated viral suppression of HIV’s replication cycle: an independent article in theJuly 2013 issue of A&U magazine, entitled “CB Breaker: Cannabinoids May Be Effective In Treating HIV, Not Just Relieving the Symptoms” and an article in the September 2013 issue of POZ, entitled “Pot – the Next HIV drug?” The A&U article features Cannabis Science’s CS-TATI-I clinical research program developing a cannabinoid-based HIV Tat inhibitor to interfere with the transactivation of Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), the cause of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). KS is a devastating cancer that remains a significant threat to human health throughout Africa, other resource-poor regions contending with the AIDS crisis and related oncological complications, while also increasing in long term survivors of anti-retroviral therapy.
http://aumag.org/wordpress/2013/07/09/cannabinoids-as-treatment/
The article in A&U, authored by Jeannie Wraight, Editor-in-Chief of HIV HAVEN and Contributing Writer for A&U, reviewed data generated via NIH grants from Yuri Persidsky, MD, PhD, Chairman, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Temple University, published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology that indicates anti-inflammatory activity of cannabinoids correlating with a decreased level of HIV in macrophages that directly causes a decrease in HIV replication. The article also covered data generated by Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, also funded by the NIH in 2012, which demonstrates the utility of cannabinoids to suppress HIV infection by blocking signaling between HIV and CXCR4, a critical receptor required by HIV to infect T cells. Data in a 2011 article from the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology found that cannabinoids inhibit HIV Tat, an essential gene necessary for viral replication.
“The fact that patient communities are following relevant cannabis and cannabinoid-based research highlights the need for these therapies to receive appropriate public facilitation in order to address the current disparities facing drug-resistant treatment-experienced and newly infected non-responding HIV patients. The HIV community has a long history of advocating for new potential therapies and support further efforts to accelerate the commercial development of CS-TATI-I,” said Dr. Dorothy Bray, CEO of Cannabis Science.
Dr. Robert Melamede, President of Cannabis Science, noted, “This article appeared immediately following the release of new data on HIV and Kaposi’s sarcoma presented at IAS 2013 and the STI & AIDS World Congress 2013. The growing volume of studies demonstrating the effect of cannabinoids on HIV and other diseases is reaching a tipping point as Cannabis Science is aggressively moving through the preclinical development process.”
POZ magazine, the leading national HIV publication, reported in the September 2013 issue on a series of recent peer-reviewed publications demonstrating the antiviral effect of cannabinoids on HIV, further demonstrating the validity of Cannabis Science’s therapeutic approach of cannabinoid-based antiviral therapy. POZ magazine (http://www.poz.com) has provided essential clinical information to HIV patients around the world since 1994. An award-winning print and online publication, POZ is identified by its readers as their most trusted source of information about HIV.
http://www.poz.com/articles/treatment_september_2013_2791_24341.shtml
“Acknowledgement from POZ and A&U is a historically essential aspect for advancing new discoveries into the clinic. The current momentum of interest by HIV community-based publications on this important research will help ensure that legislators and key opinion leaders in scientific research prioritize support for further clinical investigations that will advance cannabinoid research into publicly supported therapeutic settings,” noted Dr. Melamede.
At the recent 7th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2013, www.ias2013.org) that took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, critical data on how cannabinoids suppress HIV replication was presented by researchers atTemple University, entitled “Targeted transcriptomic analysis reveals cellular factors responsible for the suppressive effect of cannabinoids on HIV-1 replication”. The authors developed a transcription-based approach to examine the mechanisms of how cannabinoids appeared to be able to suppress HIV. The study identified specific host factors and cellular pathways associated with cannabinoid signalling and HIV replication and initial characterization of cannabinoid-mediated viral suppression. This research will contribute to the overall knowledge of the effects of cannabinoids on HIV and help enable cannabinoid-based therapies to be developed.
In the past six months, Cannabis Science established corporate operations in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in initial efforts, among others, to establish collaborations with the Amsterdam Innovation Motor, Amsterdam BioMed Cluster, Amsterdam Life Sciences Fund, I amstarter program and the University of Amsterdam in the development of CS-TATI-I.
About A&U Magazine
Founded in 1991, A&U Magazine (http://aumag.org/wordpress/) is a publication focused on the current course of the AIDS crisis and responses to the AIDS pandemic including nutrition, treatment, and innovative therapies.
About the 7th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2013)
IAS 2013 (www.ias2013.org) is the world’s largest open scientific gathering on HIV/AIDS and took place from June 30-July 3, 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS) and held every two years, the conference attracts over 5,000 of the world’s leading scientists, clinicians, policy makers and community leaders to learn about the latest developments in HIV-related research and clinical competency and collaborate on translating the latest scientific advances to the global response to HIV/AIDS. The IAS is the world’s leading association of HIV professionals that provides critical platforms for presenting new research, promoting dialogue, education and best practices and advocating for an evidence-based and the continuous improvement of the global response to HIV.
About the Amsterdam Innovation Motor
The Amsterdam Innovation Motor (AIM, http://www.aimsterdam.nl), associated with the Amsterdam Economic Board focuses on creating partnerships for innovative entrepreneurship and facilitating the translation of knowledge and applications in life science research supported by measurable economic activities to create bridges in early and mid stage life science companies. AIM has received support from the Knowledge Exploration Subsidy Program (SKE) of Technopartner (Ministry of Economic Affairs), providing life science entrepreneurs with assistance to further stimulate the Dutch economic position in the global life science arena. The Amsterdam BioMed Cluster is one of the leading biotechnology hubs in the world.
About Cannabis Science, Inc.
Cannabis Science, Inc. takes advantage of its unique understanding of metabolic processes to provide novel treatment approaches to a number of illnesses for which current treatments and understanding remain unsatisfactory. Cannabinoids have an extensive history dating back thousands of years, and currently there are a growing number of peer-reviewed scientific publications that document the underlying biochemical pathways that cannabinoids modulate. The Company works with leading experts in drug development, medicinal characterization, and clinical research to develop, produce, and commercialize novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment for illnesses caused by infections as well as for age-related illness. Our initial focus is on skin cancers and HIV related cancers such as Kaposi’s sarcoma.
Forward Looking Statements
This Press Release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. A statement containing works such as “anticipate,” “seek,” intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “plan,” or similar phrases may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some or all of the events or results anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company’s reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based drugs. Cannabis Science, Inc. does not undertake any duty nor does it intend to update the results of these forward-looking statements.
Cannabis Science, Inc.
Dr. Dorothy Bray, CEO & Director
www.cannabisscience.com
Investment Inquiries
Robert Kane
rkane@cannabisscience.com
561.420.4824
SOURCE Cannabis Science, Inc.
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