University of Haifa partners with Canadian cannabis firm to treat PTSD

Once the pre-clinical research phase and human clinical trials are complete, the company will try to license the product globally.

By EYTAN HALON
Cannabis [Illustrative] (photo credit: INIMAGE)
Cannabis [Illustrative]
(photo credit: INIMAGE)
The business and commercialization arm of the University of Haifa has partnered with a Canadian medical cannabis firm to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other related mental health conditions.
A whole subsidiary of the university, Carmel - University of Haifa Economic Corporation has provided British Columbia-based Allied Corp. with a proprietary pre-clinical animal model to enable Allied to advance specialized pharmaceutical cannabinoid research and product development.
After gaining access to the animal model, as well as the university’s scientific facilities, Allied says it will be able to conduct the pre-clinical phase of AC001, a pharmaceutical product it is developing to treat mental health conditions, including PTSD.
“By partnering with Allied to pioneer the treatment of PTSD and other mental health conditions through medical cannabis, Carmel and University of Haifa are once again proudly leveraging the greatest potential in Israeli ingenuity and technology for the purpose of addressing the world’s most pressing challenges,” said Carmel Ltd. and Carmel Innovations CEO Elka Nir.
According to the US National Center for PTSD, approximately 7-8% of the population will suffer from PTSD at some point during their lives. About 10% of women develop PTSD during their lifetime, the center says, compared with 4% of men.
“This is the first important step towards Allied bringing an academically validated pharmaceutical product to those who need it most: those people around the globe who have given of themselves to serve their country and are now suffering with PTSD,” said David Weinkauf, VP of Pharma Development for Allied.