Researchers customized a stress of marijuana to kill cancer cells

It’s well-documented that chemical substances discovered in cannabis, especially cannabidiol (CBD), work at dealing with the signs of lots of types of cancer. Today there’s proof that it might possibly treat the disease by attacking cancer cells.

Cancer researcher Matt Dun, of the University of Newcastle in Australia, recently ended up a three-year long research study showing a specific customized strain of marijuana is devastating to specific kinds of cancer cells while remaining safe to the human body’s own cells.

According to a news release from the University of Newcastle:

Lab tests performed at the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute have revealed that a modified kind of medicinal marijuana can kill or prevent cancer cells without affecting typical cells, exposing its possible as a treatment rather than merely a relief medication.

The stress in concern, called Eve, was customized to consist of less than 1%of the expected amount of “THC,” the compound associated with the sensation of getting high on marijuana, while at the same time having a very high amount of CBD.

[Read: Cannabis is more effective at preventing and treating COVID-19 than hydroxychloroquine]

Dun and their group worked with the Australian Natural Therapies Group(ANTG) to develop the stress and perform the needed screening to identify its possible as a cancer intervention. According to Dun:

ANTG wanted me to evaluate it versus cancer, so we at first utilized leukaemia cells and were really surprised by how sensitive they were. At the exact same time, the marijuana didn’t kill typical bone marrow cells, nor regular healthy neutrophils [white blood cells].

We then understood there was a cancer-selective system included, and we’ve spent the previous number of years looking for the answer.

The next actions will consist of testing the stress on other types of cancer cells and, ideally, persuading regulators around the globe to take cannabis testing seriously. Research studies such as the one Dun carried out are hard to hold in locations where marijuana is still considered a dangerous and illegal drug, such as the US where remains categorized as a schedule one compound along with heroin.

Quick take: We’ve long known cannabis is efficient at dealing with lots of cancer signs, however this is some of the first engaging evidence that CBD can kill cancer cells. If this research turns out, we might be taking a look at a possible intervention for some forms of cancer in a matter of decades.

Best of all, low-THC cannabis provides very little risk of side-effects compared to almost every other promising current or experimental intervention for cancer. This is exciting news.

But take it with a grain of salt. One three-year research study isn’t adequate evidence to state the war against cancer won.

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