Biortica Agrimed has announced an international collaboration between its Canadian subsidiary, Apollo Green, and Université Laval in Quebec.
Backed by Canada's Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), this research project aims to address the practical challenges of cannabis cultivation and improve outcomes for growers and patients.
"This is a substantial international research collaboration," said Biortica CEO, Tom Varga, "Scheduled to run through to 2029."
"We'll be exploring how multi-omics and AI can refine the genetic selection process. This project has the potential to help cultivators grow stronger, more resilient plants, and patients to benefit from consistent quality and potency."
Titled "Advancing Cannabis Cultivation Through an Intelligent Multi-omics Breeding Program," this research program is Biortica's first collaboration internationally and has been made possible by its' wholly owned subsidiary Apollo Green owner of one of the world's largest medicinal cannabis genetics libraries.
The collaboration will focus on 3 key areas of research, those being stronger and healthier plants, adaptable strains, and medicinal precision.
Asked what some of the practical outcomes Biortica was seeking from this collaboration, North American project lead, Matt Turner, Director, said "We are looking forward to multiple positive outcomes: developing cultivars with improved resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stress, thereby reducing the risks growers face. We'll be looking for plants that perform well across diverse climates and cultivation systems, supporting sustainable farming practices in Australia and globally, and to using DNA-guided breeding to produce strains with specific cannabinoid and terpene profiles designed to meet the needs of medical cannabis patients – so more accurately targeted medicines."
For more information:
Biortica Agrimed
www.biortica.com