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Innovations in Cannabis Research – Interviews With Industry Professionals

cannabis research
Written by Alexandra Hicks

In this most recent podcast episode, two cannabis research experts – Professor Nassim Garti and Haleli Sharir PhD – discuss some of their companies’ latest developments in the medical cannabis field.

This interview is brought to you by our friends Heli Dangur and Narkis Tessler from CannaCAST IL, Israel’s leading medical cannabis podcast. They formed this show with the primary goal of educating and empowering the medical cannabis community by offering international exposure to Israel’s groundbreaking technology, R&D, and innovation.

Their first guest of this episode was Professor Nissim Garti from the Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prof. Garti has written 10 peer reviewed publications, 14 edited books, 85 chapters in books, and over 90 patents. He also runs a drug delivery company called Lyotropic Delivery Systems (LDS).


Right now, Prof. Garti and his team are working on developing Novel Delivery Systems for cannabis based on nano technology. They are preparing to begin clinical trials to prove the efficiency of nano droplets as opposed to CBD oil. 

“Most of the extractions today are done either in alcohols or liquid CO2. We are extracting with our nano domains. There is no real solvent used, it is actually nano domains. So we’re taking the flowers, and after they’re dried and heated, we’re extracting from them only the active ingredients.. no oil. The extraction is unique and the formulation is unique.”

According to Gardi, with this method it takes only 15 minutes for the CBD to permeate the blood stream, compared to 2 hours or more when using oil. Furthermore, higher amounts of CBD are delivered into the bloodstream via this method. Also, nano technology would make the CBD more stable. With proper care and storage, it is expected to have a much longer shelf life.

This would lead to reduced doses, cause less interference from other cannabinoids and compounds, and result in money saved due to increased bioavailability. It’s a win-win (win) situation. 


Next up is Haleli Sharir, PhD and VP of R&D at Cannabics Pharmaceuticals. Sharir discovered a new cannabinoid receptor GPR55 and has published 9 peer reviewed essays on the topic. Her company focuses on personalized cannabinoid based therapies for cancer patients.

They utilize a state of the art research facility, strain library, screening tools used to match cannabis strains to specific tumors for individual patients. They are also the only company to use a combination of other “botanical extracts” and they are licensed by the Israeli Ministry of Health, which gives them access to advanced research technology.

“We did participate in a clinical trial, which elucidated the role of the SR capsule into the palliative effect of different formulations for the side effects such as nausea. The research facility is currently doing more pre-clinical trials”

As you can see, researcher in Israel are really making strides on some of the biggest topics in medical cannabis today: bioavailability and personalized treatment options.

Check back with us for more exciting and informative interviews. 

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About the author

Alexandra Hicks

Managing editor at Cannadelics and U.S based journalist, helping spread the word about the many benefits of using cannabis and psychedelics.