A top-secret cannabis research facility in regional NSW will be the location for a new pioneering study into medical cannabis.

The research study will see Southern Cross University (SCU) researchers analyse the plant’s physiology and biochemistry and determine the ideal conditions for producing high quality, year-round, consistent medicinal cannabis products.

The $10 million study is a collaboration between SCU, the NSW and Commonwealth Governments, Cann Group Ltd, Aglive and the University of Newcastle. 

SCU Southern Cross Plant Science director Associate Professor Bronwyn Barkla, said the study was a critical step in the delivery of therapeutically-consistent and safe medicinal cannabis products.

“The research team at Southern Cross University will investigate the compounds the plant produces, in what quantity, and where and how the plant synthesises those compounds,” Ass Prof Barkla said.

“This is important for quality assurance, ensuring the industry is able to deliver a consistent and safe product of high efficacy to patients.”

Cannabis research history in NSW

The first research production trials of medicinal cannabis began in April 2019. 

The industry-led study was initiated by Cann Group Ltd, the first company to be issued a Cannabis Research License by the Australian Government. 

The NSW Government was the first in Australia to receive authorisation from the Commonwealth to cultivate medicinal cannabis for research purposes.

To date, the NSW Government has spent $25 million to build the evidence base to understand of the therapeutic potential of cannabis medicines.

Cannabis supply chain

NSW Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said the study will consider all aspects of the supply chain, including everything from ideal growing conditions to medicinal compound analysis and supply chain traceability.

“This collaboration will enable Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to more than triple the number of researchers dedicated to finding the best ways to manage the plants, ensuring they have the highest medicinal benefit,” he said.

“It will also ensure our researchers have access to essential industry knowledge and insights, giving us the potential to drive this research much further and faster than would have otherwise been possible.” 

The Commonwealth Government will co-invest $3 million through its Cooperative Research Centre Program (CRC-P), ‘Growing the medicinal cannabis industry – from precision farming to pharmaceuticals’. CRC programs support industry-led collaborations between industry, researchers and the community.

The NSW Government will contribute more than $3 million to the project and the other partners will contribute nearly $4 million.

The science of cannabis

Active cannabis compounds are produced in small highly efficient bio-factories, known as trichomes or leaf hairs, which predominantly sit on female flowers.

SCU Southern Cross Plant Science’s Associate Professor Tobias Kretzschmar and Ass Prof Barkla both have a background in trichome biology, collaborations and translating basic scientific findings into industry applications.

“Trichome productivity depends on a range of factors including genetics, developmental stages and the cultivation environment,” Ass Prof Kretzschmar said. 

“Understanding this complex interplay at the molecular level allows for optimization of active compound production. 

“This CRC program covers a range of crucial aspects in the development of a robust medicinal cannabis supply chain for Australia, including cultivation and processing, as well as product track-and-trace and compound pharmacology.”

SCU deputy vice chancellor of research Professor Mary Spongberg said SCU has been one of the leaders of medicinal plant research in Australia.

“We have customised cannabis research infrastructure and more than a decade of experience in cannabis analytical chemistry and cannabis genetics,” Prof Spongberg said.

“Globally, medicinal cannabis is a growing multi-billion dollar market and we believe these project outcomes will make Australia internationally competitive in the premium market segment, while nationally this project will lay the foundation to meet long-term client demand of medicinal cannabis products.”