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February 13, 2019 – 13:47 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – New Penn State College of Medicine Research medical marijuana can stop the growth of colon cancer cells, reports ABC.
According to the National Cancer Institute, colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the United States. The research seeks to modify the results for patients.
"Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer in the United States and the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States," said Wesley Raup-Konsavage, research project leader.
The researchers looked at synthetic derivatives of compounds found in marijuana for medical purposes and their interaction with cancer cells in test tubes.
"Of the 370 compounds, it turned out that 10 were quite effective against all colon cancer cell lines," said Kent Vrana, director of the pharmacology department at Penn State College of Medicine.
Researchers will then examine how to make these compounds more potent and effective against cancer cells.
"The possibility of using marijuana for medical purposes is immediate because it can be used now in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Vrana said. "We just do not know what it's doing, and as for these specialty chemicals, they're not likely to become real drugs for five to ten years."
Although this research has focused primarily on colon cancer cells, it could also impact other cancer cells.
"We have an idea of what works there, we think it will work for other things," Vrana said. "We are actually trying for neuroblastoma right now."
The National Institutes of Health participated in the study, which lasted about a year and a half. At present, in Pennsylvania, there are about 20 conditions to fulfill to become a medical marijuana patient, including cancer, autism, epilepsy and HIV.
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