April 19, 2022
Media advisory: SIU Cannabis Science Center researchers working to find new uses for plant
As the unofficial cannabis holiday arrives on April 20 (4/20), researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Cannabis Science Center are hard at work looking for new ways to unlock the benefits of the plant.
Using a foundation of agriculture, analysis, education and community outreach, scientists and their students are working on a variety of projects aimed at finding solutions to health and economic issues.
Among the research underway:
Hemp production and weed mitigation strategies, Karla Gage, associate professor in the School of Agricultural Sciences.
Hemp plant genetics related to the feral hemp growing wild in Illinois for the last 80 years, David Gibson, professor in the School of Biological Sciences.
Hemp and cannabis education, regulation and analysis, Aldwin Anterola, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences.
Anticancer actions of phytocannabinoids and the role of the endocannabinoid system in ovarian cancer, Buck Hales, professor of physiology in the SIU School of Medicine
Rural health disparities, cancer survivors and their cannabis use, and cannabis use disorder, Min Jee Lee, assistant professor of population science and policy in the SIU School of Medicine.
The interaction of the p53 -- the guardian of the genome -- and the endocannabinoid system, Karen Hales, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the SIU School of Medicine
Cannabis therapy for opioid addiction mediation, Jane Nichols, associate professor in the School of Health Sciences.
Analysis of cannabinoids, terpenes and contaminants in cooperation with commercial hemp processors to help improve extraction technology, Mary Kinsel, associate scientist in the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration.
If you are interested in setting up an interview, contact Tim Crosby, public information coordinator, at 618-534-3045 or crosby@siu.edu.