One World Cannabis, Sheba Academic Medical Center ink trial agreement
OWC Pharmaceutical Research's wholly owned subsidiary One World Cannabis, an Israel-based company focused on medical cannabis treatment and medical cannabis regulatory affairs, has signed a collaboration agreement with Sheba Academic Medical Center, the largest hospital in Israel and in the Middle East.
The company will initiate a study to explore the effect of several combinations of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on multiple myeloma, starting with a basic science on multiple myeloma cells. Multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, accounts for 10% of all hematologic malignancies. It is the second most common hematologic cancer and represents 1% of all cancer diagnoses and 2% of all cancer deaths.
The study will be conducted at the Sheba Academic Medical Center facilities, composed of a highly diverse yet interactive collaborative team of molecular biologists, immunologists, cell biologists and clinicians, located in Ramat Gan (near Tel Aviv), Israel.
Dr. Merav Leiba, head of multiple myeloma outpatient clinic and Multiple Myeloma research lab at Sheba Academic Medical Center's hematology institute, will lead the research. Leiba, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Hematology, has participated in numerous clinical and investigational studies aimed at developing novel drugs for multiple myeloma.
Dr. Alan Shackelford, the company's chief science officer, will oversee this clinical research. Shackelford is a Harvard Medical School-trained physician with experience in internal medicine, nutritional medicine and behavioral medicine. Shackelford has more than 30 years of clinical experience and is recognized as one of the leading authorities in the emerging field of cannabinoid medicine.
The company has recently received Sheba Academic Medical Center internal review board (IRB) approval to the study. This Helsinki Committee approval confirms that the medical trial does not contradict the principles of the Helsinki Declaration, the Israeli Public Health Regulations (Medical trials on humans) 5741-1980 and the Israeli Medical Trials on Humans Procedure, 2014.