Project
Title: Development and production of new bioactive cannabinoids using modern synthetic and systems biology-designed platform technologies
Description of the Project
The cannabis product market is growing steadily and has exceeded forecasts. However, producing chemically pure cannabinoid active ingredients from plant extracts remains challenging. The targeted synthesis of cannabinoid active ingredients, such as dronabinol, is therefore an important process. However, this process currently relies on unsustainable substrates. Building on the BigPharm project, the CannDesign project aims to optimise and expand the technologies developed and identify new cannabinoids. The main goal is to develop platform technologies that allow the sustainable utilisation of residues such as limonene and gallic acid, and enable the specific synthesis of known and newly identified cannabinoids. Mentha-2,8-diene-1-ol (MOH) plays a decisive role here as it is key to the production of cannabinoids. The biocatalytic synthesis of MOH developed in BigPharm will therefore be optimised for use in scalable biotechnological synthesis platforms, with two catalysis technologies being evaluated. Although OA production was demonstrated in BigPharm, the process yield was too low for economic production. Therefore, alongside the biotechnological production of OA, a new synthesis route from gallic acid will be developed to enable new structures. Furthermore, structural changes to OA will lead to diversification of cannabinoids. The consortium of academic and industrial expertise will drive and direct the technical diversification and scaling up towards market-oriented implementation. In this respect, industrial partner Cansativa will play a central role in the development of market-oriented scientific tools. As a follow-up project, CannDesign will establish a unique EU-centred expert network of academic and industrial partners.
Persons
