Scientists in Israel are convinced that cannabis can successfully treat cancer
It has already been established, in limited research, that cannabis can help treat certain types of cancer, as well as side effects from conventional treatment. Now, scientists are pushing to find out how extensive cannabis can be used in treating the disease and one particular scientist is dedicating all of his efforts to the cause.
The chairman of the Tel Aviv Cancer Biology Research Center, Dan Peer, is pursuing studies that use cannabinoids to treat different forms of cancer and has already had positive results in preliminary studies on mice. Peer is not only an internationally-recognized scientific leader, he is an expert on nanotechnology in medicine. This is where he believes cannabinoids can be most effective in fighting cancer.
Through his research, he has been able to show that the three most common cannabinoids – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN). In one study concerning non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, MCL, the lab mice lived twice as long when treated with CBD and CBN nanoparticles than they did when only subjected to conventional chemotherapy.
Peer has been a pioneer in using the technology. He has harnessed nanoparticles to deliver drugs directly into cells and believes this technique will prove crucial to unlocking the door to cancer treatments. In his studies with mice, he has been able to prove that nanocarriers loaded with cannabinoids target tumors directly, causing them to shrink.
In addition to combatting cancer, Peer sees cannabis as the go-to solution for a number of ailments, including inflammatory bowel disease and others. He describes what he sees as “endless opportunities” for the creation of cannabis-based drugs and could be close to a real solution for an illness that affects tens of millions of individuals around the world on a daily basis.
