Latest news with #CBDA
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
This discovery in Cannabis DNA will change how you see weed forever; 33 genetic markers explained
Université Laval in Québec has made a significant breakthrough in cannabis research and breeding by identifying 33 genetic markers in marijuana that influence the plant's cannabinoid production . The discovery opens new doors to developing custom cannabis strains for specific medical and recreational purposes. Published in the peer-reviewed journal The Plant Genome , the study could significantly advance the science of cannabis cultivation by allowing breeders to fine-tune the plant's chemical profile with greater precision. The research team studied 174 cannabis samples and used high-density genotyping to analyze over 23,000 molecular markers. From this dataset, they pinpointed 33 specific markers strongly associated with the production of 11 cannabinoids, compounds like THCA, CBDA, and CBN , which are known for their therapeutic and psychoactive properties. Among the most notable findings was a large cluster of genes on one chromosome region that spans approximately 60 megabases. This region was strongly linked to THC-dominant strains of cannabis, confirming the role of specific DNA segments in driving potency levels. Live Events What does this mean for breeders? Historically, cannabis breeding has been a time-consuming process that involved growing plants to maturity, harvesting them, and analyzing their chemical content. This method can take months and is prone to variability. The new genetic markers now provide a reliable way to predict cannabinoid content early in the breeding process. This allows breeders to select plants with the desired genetic traits without waiting for full plant maturity. The process becomes faster, cheaper, and more efficient. 'These markers offer powerful tools for improving cannabis through molecular breeding,' the researchers wrote. 'They help overcome barriers that have limited the development of elite strains due to decades of prohibition and lack of genetic infrastructure.' A boost for medical marijuana This development is particularly promising for the medical cannabis industry. It targets genetic traits responsible for producing non-psychoactive cannabinoids like CBD and CBG, breeders can create strains tailored for pain relief, inflammation, anxiety, epilepsy, and other conditions, without inducing a high. The ability to develop strains with precise chemical balances can also help standardize dosing, which has long been a challenge in medical marijuana use. Global research momentum This study adds to a growing wave of scientific interest in cannabis. Recently, researchers in South Korea identified a new cannabinoid compound, cannabielsoxa, which has sparked further investigation into the plant's unexplored genetic complexity. As more countries legalize cannabis and invest in research, experts say these kinds of discoveries will become more common and more valuable. The discovery of these 33 genetic markers marks a significant step toward modernizing cannabis cultivation. As genetic tools become more widely adopted, the industry can expect to see faster development of high-quality, purpose-driven cannabis strains. Researchers believe that with continued investment in plant genomics, cannabis could soon join other major crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans in benefiting from cutting-edge breeding techniques.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Virginia Beach students explore career options through immersive Internship Day
VIRGINIA BEACH — More than two dozen Princess Anne High School students were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital on Thursday morning. But they weren't patients. The Central Business District Association in Virginia Beach hosted its 33rd Internship Day, when students are matched with careers and businesses based on their interests. The CBDA organized more than 100 students and businesses to best match them for the program, and businesses hosted the students for the entire morning to discuss career options. Jeanne Evans-Cox, executive director for the CBDA, said students fill out applications and rank the top three jobs they might be interested in pursuing. Then, she and school counselors come together to match them with local businesses. The Internship Day supports a variety of interests and career paths, she said. From law and health care to architecture and construction, there's a place for everybody. 'It's really fun to see how creative the companies get,' she said. 'Some of the lawyers will take the kids to court, and some of them have actually sat in on criminal cases. The kids come back, and they're just so excited, which is cool. 'They've had hard-hat tours of construction sites. One of (the businesses) got up on a crane and put them on the top of a building. They've laid out buildings and interior design. We've taken them to restaurants, so they get to watch the culinary world. We've even had chocolate-making.' During Sentara's Internship Day, more than two dozen students interested in health care were divided into small groups and visited various departments, including operating rooms, the maintenance department, labs, the pharmacy and the emergency division. Gerald Guzman, 18,and three of his classmates were led to the operating room for their first rotation Thursday. After donning hair nets, shoe covers and 'bunny suits' — sterile coveralls to prevent contamination — they toured two operating rooms. In the first, hospital staff showed them a da Vinci Surgical System, or robotic-assisted surgical platform that allows surgeons to perform complex procedures with small incisions. In the other, students received hands-on instruction for keeping an operating room sterile and how certain instruments are used during surgeries. 'It's very immersive,' Guzman said. 'We were actually able to touch the tools and see how they are applied when they are actually operating on people. It's just interesting to me that it's such a complex process. It probably takes a while to learn, but in the end, it must be very gratifying for your patients and for yourself to know how much hard work you just put in to help someone.' Over the years, the interest in health care jobs has grown, and that was the largest group of CDBA's Internship Day. Bernie Boone, president of Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, said his career in hospital administration started in a similar program, and Internship Day allows students to get an inside look at how the hospital functions and insight into occupations not as well known as physicians or nurses. 'That's what attracted me to the field of health service administration — just the vast diversity of health professions that exist,' Boone said. 'Opportunities like this hopefully will open their eyes that there are many opportunities that are broader than just more popular professions in regards to nursing or physicians. 'Whether it's speech pathology, occupational therapy, laboratory technicians, health therapists, radiation (or) radiology technicians, there's just a whole host of other health care professionals that make up the care team.' Eliza Noe,
