Andira Pharmaceuticals Has Announced A Collaborative Research Program With The University of British Columbia

VANCOVER– Andira Pharmaceuticals has partnered with the University of British Columbia (UBC) to conduct a pharmacologic characterization of its lead compounds for metastatic breast cancer. The collaborative research program will be headed by Dr. Karla Williams, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Oncology, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar, and Assistant Professor at the UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The pharmacologic effects of proprietary cannabinoid compositions will be analyzed within live breast cancer tumors and metastases using a specialized research system housed in the Williams Laboratory.

The primary goal of the research is to validate the pharmacologic effects of the lead compounds in the estrogen receptor positive (ER+) form of metastatic breast cancer. The program will also examine the potential of cannabinoid compounds in combination treatment with approved chemotherapy agents within the clinical therapy setting.

Metastatic breast cancer is a serious concern, affecting one in three women diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 3.77 million women in North America live with breast cancer, and almost 50,000 women succumb to it annually.

Dr. Dana Lambert, Andira Pharmaceuticals founder and CEO, praised Dr. Williams’ research expertise in this field and said, “While treatments for many forms of breast cancer have improved considerably, that is not the case for metastatic breast cancer. We are privileged to have her leading this groundbreaking work.”

Cannabinoids have shown potential in slowing cancer cell proliferation, generating cancer cell apoptosis (programed cell death), and preventing angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels required for tumor growth) in certain cell lines and animal research models of breast cancer.

Dr. Lambert explained, “When it comes to anti-cancer activity, published research tells us that not all cannabinoids are equal. We’ve seen effects that are encouraging from certain unique cannabinoid compositions and now we are aiming to validate those results using a specialized system – one that can show in vivo treatment outcomes for human breast tumors and metastases in real time.”

Dr. Karla Williams, who serves as the Canada Research Chair in Oncology at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and an assistant professor at UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said, “I am very excited about the potential for this project to advance our understanding of cannabinoid effects on breast cancer.”