CannMed Coffee Talk

Medicinal Genomics

Conversations with the leading minds in cannabis science, medicine, cultivation, and safety testing.

  1. Breeding for Better Solventless Extraction with Alisha Holloway, PhD

    19h ago

    Breeding for Better Solventless Extraction with Alisha Holloway, PhD

    Alisha Holloway is the Chief Scientific Officer at Phylos where she leads the R&D group that focuses on foundational genomic research, development of high-throughput genetic and chemical testing capabilities, discovery of genetic markers, and the development of new cannabis varieties via classical and marker-assisted breeding. At CannMed 26, she will present “Enhancing Cannabis Quality via Marker-Assisted Selection for Improved Solventless Extraction Yield” During our conversation, we discuss: What solventless extraction is and why it’s gaining popularity The traits that make a cannabis plant a “good washer” How Alisha’s team designed and conducted a washability study across hundreds of plant samples How they identified genetic markers for good washers that hold up across diverse genetic backgrounds How marker-assisted selection accelerates the breeding process Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Cannabis Research Center & Coalition The Cannabis Research Center & Coalition (CRC), founded by Dr. Allison Justice, is a professional group dedicated to advancing cannabis cultivation and post harvest processing. CRC partners with Universities and The Hemp Mine LLC, an industry leader in cannabis genetics and production, to tackle the cultivation and post harvest challenges facing today’s cannabis industry. Their cooperative research model, inspired by successful horticulture and greenhouse research collaborations, allows members to benefit from pooled resources, gaining access to cutting-edge, science-based research at a fraction of the cost. Learn more at cannabisrc.org Additional Resources Phylos https://www.instagram.com/shwale/ Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

    33 min
  2. Putting Cannabis Labs to the Test with Morgan Keefer

    May 20

    Putting Cannabis Labs to the Test with Morgan Keefer

    Morgan Keefer is a Board Member for the Institute of Cannabis Science, and an experienced cannabis testing laboratory accreditation professional. She has presented at conferences, including CannMed, Pittcon, and Cannabis Science Conference regarding the importance of inter-laboratory comparison and method validation for the cannabis industry. At CannMed 26, Morgan will present Frequently Identified Nonconformances Applicable to Cannabis Testing, which will explore some of the challeges that come with operating a cannabis lab as well as opportunities for improvement. During our conversation, we discuss: Cannabis labs must be ISO/IEC 17025 accredited to prove they are competent to test for potency, contaminants, and other critical safety markers that protect consumers. Inconsistent state regulations and federal illegality create unique challenges for cannabis labs, including the need to rapidly validate new test methods as rules change. Sample manipulation by producers (i.e., bleaching samples or inflating potency) is a real problem that undermines lab results and puts consumers at risk. Many labs fall short on method validation and measurement uncertainty, sometimes reporting results for years without fully validating their methods across all product types. Consumers can protect themselves by requesting certificates of analysis, asking labs to confirm their results directly, and watching for measurement uncertainty disclosures. Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: CANN Since 2015, CANN has been building a strong network of scientists in the cannabis space to promote scientific innovation, safety, and development through education, research, and the empowerment of the scientific community. To learn more about what CANN has to offer please visit their website at www.cann-acs.org. Additional Resources Institute of Cannabis Science Tip Line – tipline@cannsci.org  Coalition for Cannabis Worker Safety – Cannabisworkersafety@gmail.com Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

    39 min
  3. Drinking Cannabinoids for Better Patient Care with  Harold Han, PhD

    May 6

    Drinking Cannabinoids for Better Patient Care with Harold Han, PhD

    Dr. Harold Hom is the Founder of PhytoRX. He has dedicated his career to the art and science of nanoemulsions, transforming plant-derived active ingredients into stable, predictable and effective formulations. He founded PhytoRX is to bring consistency and efficacy into the plant-based therapeutics, and  give clinicians a tool they can confidently use. At CannMed 26, Harold will Moderate a panel titled “Drink Your Cannabionoids – How it changes cannabis research and patient care”, which brings together leading clinicians, researchers, and innovators to explore how emulsion-based cannabinoids are improving outcomes in oncology, geriatrics, and clinical trials.  During our conversation, we discuss:  How cannabis emulsion technology solvers composition, degradation, and absorption challenges in medical cannabis How turning oil-based cannabinoids into water-compatible emulsions improves bioavailability, dosing precision, and patient adherence How emulsion-based products improve the “therapeutic window” via predictable PK profiles that smoking, tinctures, and edibles can’t match Why drinking cannabinoids better fits patients’ existing habits, afterall, people are already drinking fluids throughout the day. A preview of the CannMed Emulsion Panel  and more  Thanks to this Episode’s Sponsor: PhytoRX  PhytoRX was born from the expertise of Vertosa, a pioneer in advanced infusion technology with years of experience delivering precision and consistency for next-generation botanical therapeutics. The product improves on traditional cannabinoid formats by delivering accurate dosing, rapid absorption, optimized bioavailability, and ease of use.  Go to phytorx.co to learn more, and if you decide to give it a try, use promocode CannMed at checkout to get 15% off. Additional Resources PhytoRX Register for CannMed 26 Today

    34 min
  4. Applying AI and Machine Learning to Medical Cannabis with Hemant Kumar Bid, PhD

    Apr 22

    Applying AI and Machine Learning to Medical Cannabis with Hemant Kumar Bid, PhD

    Dr. Hemant Kumar Bid is a top educator in the field of Biotechnology and Medical cannabis. He serves as Program Director for the Morehouse School of Medicine, using his extensive background in biotechnology research and cannabinoid research to educate graduate students and infuse the industry with science-backed legitimacy. Recently, Hemant has become deeply engaged with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through his academic, clinical, and program development work.  During our conversation we discuss: How AI and machine learning are accelerating drug discovery, enabling personalized treatment, and analyzing complex genomic and clinical data. How the Morehouse School of Medicine is updating its biotechnology curriculum to integrate AI/ML  Why the accuracy of AI predictions depends entirely on data quality fed into the models, making standardization, diverse representation, and clean datasets critical for success How AI can help reduce trial-and-error prescribing in favor of personalized care for specific patient conditions, optimized dosing, and potential adverse effects and/or drug interactions. Major challenges that need to be overcome before AI and ML can truely transform medical cannabis treatment.  Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Tikun Olam Tikun Olam is the world’s first licensed medical cannabis company. With over 20 years of clinical cannabis research, Tikun Olam has conducted 7 clinical trials and published over two dozen academic journal studies using its heirloom cultivars. Tikun Olam products are designed for specific needs: pain relief, better sleep, digestive comfort, and neurological balance — all standardized for consistent, predictable results. If you’re curious to learn more about their products or research, they even offer a free one-on-one consultation with a licensed nurse. Shop online or find a dispensary at tikunolam.com Additional Resources Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast

    43 min
  5. Decoding Natural Hop Latent Viroid Tolerance with Ansley Burtch

    Apr 8

    Decoding Natural Hop Latent Viroid Tolerance with Ansley Burtch

    Ansley Burtch is a Post-Baccalaureate Scholar in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee. Her undergraduate and post-baccalaureate research focuses on plant-pathogen interactions using computational genomics and transcriptomic approaches. She has also investigated the production of toxins by fungi and their impacts on human health.  At CannMed 26 she will present “Decoding Natural Viroid Tolerance: Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of HLVd Response in Cannabis”. During our conversation, we discuss: Why the research team decided to pursue natural tolerance as a Hop Latent Viroid defense strategy rather than resistance Real-world observations that identified the Jamaican Lion cultivar as having a natural tolerance that keeps the viroid localized in the roots Creating a chromosome-scale genome assembly of Jamaican Lion to enable more confident identification of candidate genes and pathways involved in tolerance. Early findings suggesting the viroid activates genes that control root metabolism, as well as the anthocyanin and betalin pathways, during infection. The long-term goal, to identify specific genetic markers linked to tolerance so breeders can intentionally select for viroid-tolerant cultivars. Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients Advanced Nutrients will once again be a partner level sponsor for the CannMed 26 Summit and this year they have put together an amazing package for cultivators.  Advanced Cultivator Package which includes  Full Access to all the presentations, networking events, and meals at the CannMed 26 summit  Accomodations at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe  An elite package of Advanced Nutrients 8th Gen Fertilizers – enough for a complete crop valued at $11,126* 1x StrainSEEK® Whole Genome Sequence, valued at $547 Provided By: Medicinal Genomics In all worth upwards of $14,000, but you can get it for just $3,499  Check out the details at cannmedevents.com/packages  Additional Resources Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast

    24 min
  6. Improving Sleep for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder-Mohsin Maqbool, MD

    Mar 11

    Improving Sleep for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder-Mohsin Maqbool, MD

    Dr. Mohsin Maqbool is a pediatric neurologist and sleep specialist based in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas. His work focuses on the intersection of neurodevelopment, sleep, and cannabinoid therapeutics in autism spectrum disorder. He is particularly interested in how cannabinoid formulations may influence sleep regulation, behavior, and quality of life in children with autism. At CannMed 26, Mohsin will present “Autism, Sleep, and Medicinal Cannabis: Evaluating 18-Month Efficacy and Safety Outcomes” During our conversation, we discuss: The gaps in current sleep medicine for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Results from Mohsin’s 18-month longitudinal study including improvements to total sleep time, sleep onset and maintenance, and overall quality of sleep The method of finding the effective dose for each patient  Cannabinoids’ effect on the duration of REM sleep and what the daytime implications are  Thinking of cannabis as a tool to supplement conventional ASD medications and not a replacement  Future research directions – using wearables and EEG to investigate how cannabinoids affect sleep architecture and brain physiology, as well as using biomarkers to see whether patients are a good candidate for cannabinoid therapies Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: The Society of Cannabis Clinicians  The Society of Cannabis Clinicians is a nonprofit professional association of physicians and other healthcare providers. It provides continuing education—for clinicians, patients, and all concerned about the medical use of cannabis and best practices in clinical care. SCC physicians have been monitoring cannabis use by patients for 20 years and have compiled a wealth of clinical evidence and treatment strategies that will be validated by clinical trials in the years ahead. To learn more about SCC and to join visit cannabisclinicians.org. Additional Resources Effects of Medical Cannabis Treatment for Autistic Children on Family Accommodation: An Open-Label Mixed-Methods Study [Book] Cannabis Is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD Are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain by Dr. Bonni Goldstein Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

    29 min
  7. Discovering Non-Glandular Trichomes Secrete Salts with Zamir Punja, PhD

    Feb 25

    Discovering Non-Glandular Trichomes Secrete Salts with Zamir Punja, PhD

    Dr. Zamir Punja is a Professor of Plant Biotechnology at Simon Fraser University in Canada. His research interests include the etiology and management of plant diseases and the applications of plant biotechnology for disease management. Since 2018, his work has focused on cannabis, identifying and describing a range of previously unreported pathogens affecting the crop and evaluating various methods for disease management.  Zamir is CannMed regular, having presented at 5 previous events. His presentations are always a highlight of the event because they often feature stunning electron microscope images showing plant structures and pathogens up close. In fact, his CannMed 22 presentation about glandular trichomes has gotten more than 300,000 views on our YouTube page, making it the most viewed CannMed presentation.  Zamir will again present at CannMed 26, this time about non-glandular trichomes in a presentation titled “Non-glandular trichomes in cannabis plants can secrete salts”.  During our conversation, we discuss: Non-glandular trichomes: What they are and what they do. How leaf spots, initially mistaken for disease, led to the finding that cannabis secretes excess fertilizer salts through these trichomes. Theories on why the plant would develop the ability to actively excrete excess salts. Practical guidance for cultivators on how to distinguish overfertilization from disease. Future research directions — comparing salt-tolerant vs. non-tolerant strains under varying salinity levels and exploring whether this mechanism explains cannabis’s resilience in drought-prone, high-salt environments. Thanks to This Episode’s Sponsor: Advanced Nutrients Advanced Nutrients will once again be a partner-level sponsor for the CannMed 26 Summit, and this year they have put together an amazing package for cultivators that includes: Full Access to all the presentations, networking events, and meals at the CannMed 26 summit  Accommodations at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe  An elite package of Advanced Nutrients 8th Gen Fertilizers – enough for a complete crop valued at $11,126* 1x StrainSEEK® Whole Genome Sequence, valued at $547 – Provided by Medicinal Genomics That’s a $14,000 value for just $3,499!   Learn more at cannmedevents.com/package-options Additional Resources [Article] Non-glandular trichomes (epidermal hairs) in cannabis plants are capable of excreting nutrient salts under excessive fertilizer regimes [Video] Exploring the fascinating development of cannabinoid-producing trichomes Register for CannMed 26 Meet the CannMed 26 Speakers Review the Podcast CannMed Archive

    31 min
4.9
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

Conversations with the leading minds in cannabis science, medicine, cultivation, and safety testing.

You Might Also Like