Expertise

We can alter the composition of cannabinoids

In the hemp/cannabis industry, there are many types of varieties that are available to everyone (for example high CBD). This means that most companies have very similar products. If you want to have differentiated products that stand out from the competition, then you will need novel plants with different cannabinoid profiles. We have expertise in this area and can work with you to produce:

• Zero THC hemp (eliminates the worry of testing hot)

• Zero cannabinoid hemp (the ideal variety for food purposes)

• High CBG (the mother of cannabinoids for CBG products)

• Higher CBC (rare cannabinoid for new products and medical marijuana)

• Higher levels of rare cannabinoids (novel differentiated products and medical uses)

Our experience has shown us that the cannabinoid biosynthetic pathway is easy to manipulate and we have the expertise to manipulate it.

Hemp grower and medical marijuana permits

Dr. Rushton has successfully written and received a research partnership (growers) permit from the State of New York Agriculture and Markets. He was the sole author of the proposal that included the ability to grow and breed industrial hemp and develop a biotechnology pipeline. He has also written large parts of a medical marijuana permit application and would be a major asset if you require assistance with your own application.

Valuable intellectual property

We are entrepreneurs, and appreciate the value an intellectual property portfolio can add to a company. In the world of hemp/cannabis, intellectual property is not as advanced as in major crop plants and we have the ability to identify major target genes for cannabis improvement that can form parts of a valuable cannabis IP portfolio. Our experience in developing new varieties in tobacco and other species has shown that transcription factors often constitute excellent targets for the manipulation of biochemical pathways because they control more than one step in the pathway. Over 30 years experience makes Dr. Rushton one of the major experts in plant transcription factor technologies. He has also been responsible for IP portfolios in industry.

Synthetic Biology

Control is everything in projects where transgenes are used to improve plants. Many promising projects have failed not because the wrong gene or gene target was chosen but because the wrong promoter was used. Often ectopic overexpression using the CaMV 35S promoter led to phenotypes that would reduce yields rather than enhance them. We have twenty years experience in synthetic promoter technology to improve the specificity and strength of promoters.

Synthetic promoters can:

• Increase the specificity of expression, reducing unwanted background.

• Increase strength.

• Reduce strength.

• Increase the responsiveness by placing at the end of more than one signaling pathway

In addition, we have experience of using synthetic biology to insert a complete biosynthetic pathway in a different plant species.

Gene expression through promoter technology

Dr. Rushton has successfully developed promoters for multiple uses in plants. These include:

• Pathogen-inducible promoters (both native and synthetic).

• Wound-inducible promoters.

• Drought-inducible promoters.

• Above ground-specific promoters (led to a product being developed by Scotts MiracleGro).

• Root cortex specific promoters (both native and synthetic to manipulate nicotine biosynthesis).

• Trichome-specific promoters (an absolute requirement for manipulating cannabinoid biosynthesis).

Whatever your expression needs - we can find the best promoter for you.

We can alter the level of nicotine

Dr. Rushton has over 15 years experience in tobacco biotechnology, starting with pioneering work on nicotine biosynthesis at the University of Virginia and followed by drought responses at South Dakota State and Texas A&M. The tobacco world is in a state of flux with the FDA considering mandating reduced levels of nicotine across the board in cigarettes and other countries looking to do similar things to improve the health of the population.

There is a large collection of non-proprietary molecular targets that can be used to reduced nicotine levels in tobacco and we have the ability to produce new and improved Burley, Bright, and Oriental varieties in advance of any FDA mandate coming into force.

Grant proposals

Grantsmanship is a skill that scientists only learn when they start to write for their first grants. It is completely different skill and yet their futures as scientists rest largely on their ability to bring in money. For example, the active voice is used rather than the passive, which goes against every manuscript you have ever written. There is also the need for a testable hypothesis and a plan of work that is doable and exciting but not so ambitious that it cannot be completed. Dr. Rushton has featured on over a dozen funded grants including funded federal grants as Principal Investigator. He has also served on a USDA grant panel and understands what separates a competitive grant from a non-competitive one. He will work with you to produce the most competitive version of your grant before submission.