Grant: CCI Applied Research and Development Grants

The Kalra Lab at Langara College is collaborating with Jazz Pharmaceuticals to develop an understanding of how cannabidiol (CBD) binds to targets and induces physiological changes in normal dopaminergic neurons compared to those modified to replicate Parkinson’s Disease (PD). We are submitting an NSERC CCI ARD proposal to obtain $120,000 for this project. The industrial partner has pledged to provide $30,000 in-cash and $60,000 in-kind contributions. This proposal outlines a one-year pilot project that will seed a larger program of research at the end of this term. The overarching research question relevant to Jazz is whether their existing drug, Epidiolex®, can be used to mitigate PD symptoms and/or disease progression. To support the expanded use of CBD, and in turn Epidiolex®, in improving outcomes for patients with PD, a greater understanding of the effect of cannabinoids on neuronal cell function and efficacy in diseased cells is needed. The Kalra lab and Jazz will work collaboratively to examine the effects of CBD alone or in combination with other clinically relevant, non-psychoactive cannabinoids (Cannabinol (CBN) and Cannabigerol (CBG)) in abrogating the cellular pathophysiology of neurological diseases starting with PD. The proposal described herein has three specific aims: (i) developing and characterizing normal neuronal and PD cell lines; (ii) testing the effect of the active pharmaceutical ingredient of Epidiolex®; CBD (supplied by Jazz), on neural protection and regeneration in in vitro models of PD; and (iii) performing target deconvolution by using transcriptome sequencing to identify cell signaling pathways influenced by cannabinoids in neuronal cells. The main deliverables from completion of this program will include key data related to the efficacy of Epidiolex® and CBD in cellular models of neurological disease. The Kalra Lab will also support mechanistic studies on understanding how pharmaceutically relevant cannabinoids exert their physiological effects in vitro and further contribute to the growing body of literature in cannabis science supporting cannabinoid drug development and design.