New Geelong research to probe how medicinal cannabis could help kids with autism
New research being conducted in Geelong will investigate how medicinal cannabis could assist young people with autism.
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New research being conducted in Geelong will investigate how medicinal cannabis could assist young people with autism.
Medigrowth, a fully licensed Australian medicinal cannabis biotech is collaborating with Deakin University in a bid to revolutionise the nation’s medicinal cannabis offering.
Through their latest clinical trial and the application of clinical data, Medigrowth and Deakin are working to find solutions to improve the quality of life for those with neurodevelopmental challenges.
Professor Peter Enticott, head of the cognitive neuroscience unit in the school of psychology at Deakin, said the research would investigate the development of safe and effective interventions.
Prof Enticott said Deakin was partnering with pharmacology and psychiatry colleagues from Swinburne University of Technology and Monash University, and gathering the views of individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions and parents.
“In a study involving five to 12-year-old children on the autism spectrum, our first trial will investigate whether medical cannabis can mitigate disability that is often associated with autism, promote quality of life, and enhance mental health,” he said.
“We will also look at underlying changes in brain function to better understand how medical cannabis exerts its effects.
“This work is incredibly timely, as medical cannabis is already used clinically in autism, but we lack a solid evidence base.”
He said the study also addressed a key research priority that has been identified in the broader autism community.
“Medical cannabis seems to act on several of the brain mechanisms that are implicated in neurodevelopmental conditions and appears to have strong potential for future therapeutic use,” Prof Enticott said.
“We are excited to partner with Medigrowth, particularly given their commitment to rigorous empirical research.”
Adam Guskich, founder and director of Medigrowth, said their research team had seen increasing interest in the potential of cannabis to ease a range of illness symptoms since the pandemic.
“The past year has seen exponential growth in patients accessing medicinal cannabis: with the number of approved prescriptions rising by 245 per cent from 2020 to 2021,” he said.
“In some ways, the pandemic has created a perfect storm where patients dealing with mental health and chronic pain issues have been amplified by lockdowns and global uncertainty.
“We see a large number of prescriptions for issues such as anxiety, insomnia and other mental health conditions.
“Having witnessed substantial first-hand improvements in patient wellbeing through medicinal cannabis treatment, we’re inspired and excited to continue to work with world-class researchers to ensure that robust scientific and clinical data is available to medical professionals.”
Originally published as New Geelong research to probe how medicinal cannabis could help kids with autism
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