Major California Hemp Producer locating Canadian Office in North Bay - Canadore College ICAMP to Undertake Company’s Research
Aug 11, 2020 | Cindy Males, Public Relations and Communications Specialist
(NORTH BAY) – Dr. Trent Jones, President and CEO of Apothio, is pleased to announce the company will establish its Canadian head office in North Bay, Ontario. The company is also announcing that Canadore College’s Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Prototyping (ICAMP) and the College’s DNA lab will be commissioned to conduct the company’s research and development projects.
“We are excited to start this partnership with Canadore College’s ICAMP,” said Dr. Jones. “It will enable us to access leading-edge equipment and qualified experts in the field of genomics to assist us in developing our product for the global markets.”
The southern California based company is a global leader in developing proprietary hemp and cannabis strains to potentially treat a broad spectrum of human diseases. The company has developed fits genetics in the Mojave Desert and boasts strong genes, high yields of CBD, and valuable minor cannabinoids.
“These strains will be used for food development, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. This will include specific strains to be used in clinical trials to determine their efficacy in a wide range of medical conditions,” said Dr. Jones. “The preliminary projects will include cataloguing hundreds of seeds to be patented for export to the European markets.”
“Canada is years ahead of the United States in its legalization of hemp and cannabis. Working within Canada’s framework of legalization provides us with the confidence to move our research and development operations. Our investment is well spent enabling our company to commercialize our cannabinoids, and other by-products, for our customers located in our international markets,” said Dr. Jones.
The research at Canadore will be conducted under the supervision of the College’s Director of Cannabinoid Research, Dr. Pritesh Kumar, a world eminent research scientist specializing in cannabinoid pharmacology.
“This project positions Canadore College at the forefront of cutting-edge research in this emerging sector provincially, nationally, and internationally. We will take a leadership position by partnering with a U.S. company that is focused on research and development of hemp cultivars,” said Dr. Kumar.
“Much of the Research and Development will utilize the newly built genomics laboratory at Canadore College to study the various hemp cultivars developed by Apothio,” said Dr. Kumar. “Utilizing Canadore’s state-of-the-art Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology will enable the sequencing of the DNA of hundreds of hemp genomes, and the generation of millions of genetic markers that can be used in breeding for agricultural, industrial and medical purposes,” said Kumar.
“This research will put Canadore College front and centre on the world’s stage,” said Canadore College President George Burton. “We have always focused on market trends and the capacity that companies can draw on. The cannabis-hemp sector is now a growing industry of its own, and we are excited about the developing research agenda with Apothio, to participate in this trending industry here in North Bay. Currently, we are in the final stages to submit our research licensing application to Health Canada which will allow us to attract additional applied research programs from around the world.”
“The ICAMP model fosters the opportunity for Canadore students to participate in highly specialized research projects to add to their academic training. Under the guidance and support of an internationally based company, such as Apothio, we foresee an increase of students enrolling in our current science disciplines to be part of the research programs available. It is also a revenue-generating operation for the College. This estimated increase in enrollment will have a direct economic benefit to North Bay of between two and three million dollars a year,” said Burton.
Apothio believes other pharmaceutical research industries, as well as other companies related to this sector, could relocate to North Bay, generating between 10 and 15 million dollars into the local economy and up to 125 new jobs in the region.
Dr. Jones says Canadore’s Director of Innovation and The Village Services, Mr. Frank Suraci, played a key role in bringing Canadore and Apothio together.
“Without Frank’s vision, leadership, and trusted relationships, we would not have been able to assemble this wonderful venture,” said Dr. Jones. “Frank continues to build an incredible network of public and private joint ventures in and around North Bay and Canadore College.”
“We welcome Apothio to their new home in North Bay and their collaboration with Canadore College,” said Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing. “This new partnership will mean exciting new opportunities for Canadore students and significant economic benefits for North Bay and the surrounding region. We look forward to working together with Apothio as they establish their operations in our city.”
“I congratulate Canadore College and Apothio on this exciting research and development partnership and wish them every success,” said the Honourable Anthony Rota, Member of Parliament for Nipissing–Timiskaming. “This unique collaboration further demonstrates Canadore’s commitment to innovation, creating a skilled workforce, and growing our economy.”
For more information contact Frank Suraci at Frank.Suraci@canadorecollege.ca
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For more information about Apothio visit www.Apothio.net
For more information about Canadore College visit www.canadorecollege.ca
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