New Study Out of British Columbia Maps and Reproduces Terpene Genomes

The University of British Columbia (UBC) has been studying the cannabinoid compounds in the cannabis plant that offer differences in varieties of cannabis plant tastes and smells, called terpenes. UBC has been studying this for quite some time, as an ongoing collaboration between graduate student Judith Booth, Jörg Bohlmann, a professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories and faculty of forestry at UBC and Jonathan Page, an adjunct professor in the botany department who founded the cannabis testing and biotechnology company Anandia Labs.

Although terpenes are not new compounds in the cannabis plant, as Dr. Ethan Russo has been one of the first and leading cannabis experts to initially find the many different terpenes in cannabis and other plants—he also graced CULTURE with a fantastic interview about his life’s work and his innovative research in the cannabis industry in May of last year—the innovation comes from UBC as the research team has figured out how to isolate the terpenes from cannabis plants, and reproduce them.

Terpenes are natural inhibitors of NF-kappaB signaling with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer potential. A September 2011 report by Dr. Ethan Russo in the British Journal of Pharmacology discussed the wide-ranging therapeutic attributes of terpenes, which are typically lacking in “CBD-only” products, and rarely taken advantage of in other ways.

Various researchers have emphasized the pharmacological importance of terpenes and terpenoids, which form the basis of aromatherapy. Pungent terpene oils repel insects and animal grazers; others prevent fungus. They can be used to protect the plants that produce them by deterring herbivores and by attracting predators and parasites of herbivores.

Many cannabis producers use terpenes in the last process of creating a cannabis product, especially concentrates, as many natural terpenes get eliminated from the product during extraction processes. These producers put more terpenes back into the product at the end, the give the product a better scent and flavor. The difference is that most processors use naturally-derived terpenes found in other plants, and not the terpenes derived from cannabis.

In the new UBC study, the research team found about 30 terpene synthase genes that contribute to diverse flavors and scents in cannabis. This number is comparable to genes that play a role in different varietals of grapes for the wine industry. The genes the researchers discovered play a role in producing natural products like limonene, myrcene and pinene found in the cannabis plants.

“The goal is to develop well-defined and highly-reproducible cannabis varieties. This is similar to the wine industry, which depends on defined varieties such as chardonnay or merlot for high value products,” said Jörg Bohlmann. “Our genomics work can inform breeders of commercial varieties which genes to pay attention to for specific flavour qualities.”

The ability to reproduce a consistent variety of cannabis, and/or the terpene that one particular cannabis plant has in its signature is a great addition for the recreational cannabis industry, especially if considering treating the recreational cannabis industry like the wine industry.

The researchers also say it will also be important to examine to what extent terpene compounds might interact with the cannabinoid compounds such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a huge and important step; something Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and Dr. Ethan Russo might be able to help them figure out on a more in depth basis.

This is an ongoing study and has many other goals for future. Stay Tuned.