Gb Sciences Accelerates Drug Development Via Innovative Biopharma Technology & Strategic Partnerships

Recognizing the glacial pace of traditional drug research and development processes and the adverse effect of this on patients, biopharmaceutical company Gb Sciences has taken innovative steps to speed up the process and is developing key relationships to further advance the clinical development of its novel, plant-inspired therapies for the prescription drug market.

To expedite its discovery processes, Gb Sciences utilizes its revolutionary drug discovery platform called PhAROS. PhAROS, short for Phytomedical Analytics for Research Optimization at Scale, predicts novel formulations of therapeutic mixtures derived from plant-based materials. PhAROS combines the wisdom of traditional plant-based medicines with the speed of modern data analytics and machine learning, which allows Gb Sciences to greatly reduce the time and money required to bring novel, plant-inspired formulations to market.

“Our research and development processes are very innovative because we know that the development of novel drugs through traditional biopharmaceutical pipelines is very slow,” said Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, President and Chief Science Officer of Gb Sciences. “It typically takes at least 10 years for a new medicine to go from the initial discovery phase to the marketplace, and during that time, millions are left hoping and waiting for symptom relief.”

Gb Sciences’ novel approach to drug discovery increases research efficiency and reduces Gb Sciences’ time from ideation to drug candidate selection from seven years to 1.5 years. Gb Sciences combines both its PhAROS drug discovery platform for the identification and prediction of the efficacy of plant-derived, therapeutic mixtures for specific diseases in silico, and then Gb Sciences tests these minimum essential mixtures from plants using robotics-aided screening of plant mixtures in cell and animal models of specific diseases. Using both its drug discovery platform and high throughput screening systems, the company has identified and validated precise mixtures of plant-based compounds to treat conditions including neurological disorders, inflammation, anxiety, depression, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and chronic pain.

As a result of this combined approach, Gb Sciences has made major strides in its drug discovery and product development programs. The company has been issued three US patents for its lead therapies for Parkinson’s disease, inflammation, and chronic pain. Gb Sciences has five late preclinical stage product candidates in development. Plus, Gb Sciences’ therapeutic mixtures achieved a statistically significant reduction in Parkinsonian motor symptoms in a preclinical trial for Parkinson’s disease using zebrafish – a faster and very effective testing model – completed by the National Research Council of Canada.

Partnerships come in various forms, ranging from basic research to identifying drug targets to collaborations around innovative clinical trials, with each partner bringing different strengths and expertise to the table. Gb Sciences uses a resource-efficient virtual strategy, working with seven universities on their drug discovery and preclinical validation work.

One key relationship for Gb Sciences’ development pipeline is with Purisys, Inc. Purisys is Gb Sciences’ preferred supplier of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), which allows Gb Sciences to reduce their dependence on plants for their API.  Purisys is well-known for their commercial-scale pharmaceutical cannabinoid manufacturing technologies, IP portfolio, commercial drug master file holdership, complemented with a strong quality, regulatory and compliance track record. This strategic relationship solidifies both Gb Sciences’ immediate supply needs for preclinical studies and clinical drug prototypes, as well as future supply needs for clinical trials, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing. Purisys is the global leader in providing the ultra-high purity cannabinoids needed for Gb Sciences’ standardized, cannabinoid-containing pharmaceutical products. In addition, they have the ability to manufacture additional copies of plant-derived ingredients as the needs from our supply chain grow.

“Biopharmaceutical research can only progress if all involved have endurance, commitment, and the right partners inside and outside the company,” Small-Howard said. “Gb Sciences looks forward to working with new partners who will learn alongside us and work on developing innovations that will accelerate and enhance the drug development pipeline.”

Gb Sciences, Inc. is a plant-based research and biopharma drug development company creating patented, disease-targeted formulations of plant-inspired therapeutic mixtures for the prescription drug market through its Canadian subsidiary, GbS Global Biopharma, Inc. The “plant-inspired” active ingredients in its therapeutic mixtures are synthetic homologues identical to the original plant compounds but produced under current Good Manufacturing Practices. Gb Sciences’ novel drug discovery platform has yielded five issued US and three issued international patents, as well as 21 US and 42 international patent-pending applications. In its drug development pipeline, the company has four preclinical-stage programs, and its lead Parkinson’s disease therapeutic program is being prepared for a First-in-Man clinical trial. In addition to Parkinson’s disease, Gb Sciences is developing therapeutics for COVID-related cytokine release syndrome (CRS), chronic pain, anxiety, depression, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and heart failure. Gb Sciences’ productive research and development network includes distinguished universities, hospitals, and Contract Research Organizations.  For more information, visit www.gbsciences.com.