Marijuana's 'genetic revolution': Scientists are developing PERSONALISED cannabis to give users the best effect - and have even created an app to tell you the best strain
The marijuana industry could be about to undergo as a 'genetic revolution'. Scientists are working alongside medical marijuana growers to map the plant's genome and create personalised strains faster
The marijuana industry could be about to undergo as a 'genetic revolution'. Scientists are working alongside medical marijuana growers to map the plant's genome and create personalised strains faster
As they work towards this, other companies are developing tools that can identify the best strain of marijuana for different people.
For instance, the Budzster app - launching this month - aims to inform its anonymous user base of locally available strains best suited to their body type.
'There are hundreds of strains each with their own genetic profile that interacts with your own profile,' writes founder Andrea Halford.
'So what works for one person may not work for you. Finding the strain that works best for your specific needs is a pretty challenging task.'
The app puts together existing genetic information on the plant's various strains to help a user decide whether its right for them.
But much more still needs to be done to understand the DNA of cannabis.
According to a report by Daniela Hernandez in Fusion, while significant strides have been made in this research, studies have so far been held back due to federal restrictions.
The US government considers marijuana a drug 'with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.'
Despite this, some researchers have been able to circumvent the rules by conducting their studies elsewhere.
For instance, in 2011 Kevin McKernan was able to sequence the entire genome of cannabis sativa as part of his work at Medicinal Genomics.
The DNA purification was performed at the company's research facility in Amsterdam, according to Fusion.
'Despite compelling evidence of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, very little genomics research has been performed in this area,' Mr McKernan said at the time.
'Cannabis was one of the most difficult genomes that I ever sequenced, and even though only a draft assembly has been constructed, it is important to provide the scientific community with the raw data as quickly as possible.
'Ongoing scientific research suggests that some of the non-toxic compounds in this plant may ultimately prove to be powerful therapeutics that can treat a wide range of health conditions, including cancer and inflammatory diseases.'
Mr McKernan put the data up on the Amazon cloud for anyone to download, hoping someone could make sense of it.
Since then whole genome sequencing has become cheaper and other scientists have become interested in learning more about this potent planet.
Jonathan Page, a plant biologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada unravelled the sequencing of some 30,000 genes on the Purple Kush strain of marijuana.
Daniela Hernandez writes that right now, the medical marijuana industry is in 'a race for knowledge.'
Until its genetics are cracked, other companies are promising to use algorithms and data to help growers improve their yields.
For example, PotBotics, is testing out 'gene radars', developed by scientists at MIT.
Using image recognition, the technology can analyse pictures of seeds and attempt to reveal their DNA makeup, according to Fusion.
With a growing number of states allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, Budzters developers say an outright ban on cannabis is 'rapidly coming to a close'.
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