WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Medicinal Genomics Corporation (MGC), a company that applies state-of-the-art life science technology to cannabis and hemp plant genetics, today announced StrainSEEK™, a revolutionary genetics based service designed to identify and certify cannabis and hemp strains, providing growers with the identity, heritage, and chemistry of the cannabis and hemp plants they are cultivating. Consumers and clinicians are, for the first time, able to identify the exact strain and key characteristics of the cannabis and hemp they are purchasing, enabling confidence in the quality and reliability of the product.
MGC’s partner growers have released over 100,000 units of Medicinal Genomics Certified cannabis product into dispensaries in Colorado. All of these cannabis products have been genetically identified and certified through the StrainSEEK service. MGC is currently partnered with The List Exchange for distribution, and with grower partners in Colorado including ButterBrand, Doctor’s Orders, DPCC, Elite Cannabis, Flower Power Botanicals, JGB Enterprises, Mike Squared LLC, and The Health Center/Nutritional Elements INC. The Company plans to expand the StrainSEEK strain ID and certification services nationally and internationally.
All certified strains are listed and described on MGC’s new public website, Kannapedia™, where users can learn the key characteristics of each available certified strain, and in future updates, will be able to find product reviews, and obtain information on where to purchase certified strain product.
Medicinal Genomics is uniquely qualified to provide this revolutionary service. Kevin McKernan, the company’s founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Courtagen Life Sciences, MGC’s parent company, is a veteran of the Human Genome Project. Kevin managed the R&D team for the Human Genome Project while at the Whitehead Institute/MIT. McKernan is credited with sequencing the entire genome for both Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica in August 2011, and is leading the cannabis and hemp genome mapping and certification revolution. Through his ability to develop both scientific breakthroughs as well as commercialize them, McKernan and MGC are unlocking the identity as well as the practical medical, recreational, and commercial value of cannabis and hemp.
“MGC’s StrainSEEK strain ID and certification service is enabling the cannabis market, the fastest growing industry in the US, by providing certainty as to the origin of the cannabis strains and relationship to other identified strains, as well as to the certified chemical characteristics of the strain,” said McKernan. “Consumers are now able to confidently purchase cannabis products that include the heritage and chemistry of the plant. Certified plant characteristics are the vital information needed to make informed decisions around treatment for identified conditions and will allow the recreational user assurance as to accurate data like THC content percentages.”
The cannabis and hemp markets are predicted to reach $6.8 billion in total U.S. sales this year, but today the products that dispensaries purchase and sell to consumers have limited scientifically validated data relative to its characteristics.
According to a CBS News poll conducted in April 2015, an overwhelming 84% of Americans would like to see marijuana legalized for medicinal purposes. Likewise, latest recent Gallup poll showed that 58% of people surveyed were in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana, which tied an all-time high.
“Consumers would never intentionally pay for a Rolls Royce and drive home in a Volkswagen but today that is virtually what is happening, every day. In dispensaries across the United States, consumers are being told they are purchasing a particular strain of cannabis when in fact these strains have never been validated using modern analytics and genetics based certification techniques,” said McKernan. “Using the StrainSEEK technology and Kannapedia reference, we are not only validating the identity and characteristics of the strains, but also enabling consumers to know exactly what they are purchasing. This is information that has never been available to growers or consumers before.”
With the help of the List Exchange Colorado, Medicinal Genomics was able to identify unique strains and producers to participate in this project. Through this collaboration, Medicinal Genomics has been able to launch the StrainSEEK strain ID and certification service while using Colorado’s own METRC seed-to-sale technology to track each gram of cannabis flower, extraction, and edible that has been genetically certified. This integration provides an additional measure of confidence for consumers by enabling the StrainSEEK certification to follow any products that are produced from the strains through the Colorado system. The service will launch next in California.
“There is a general frustration in that other growers can claim their genetics are something they are not – either on dispensary shelves, or when they sell clones,” said Cassandra Maffey, Master Grower of the Boulder Marijuana Company. “In partnership with Medicinal Genomics, we are now able to provide dispensaries and consumers with certain knowledge on what they are selling and consuming. This is a revolutionary commercial step forward for the cannabis industry.”
With the StrainSEEK technology, MGC is empowering growers, providing them with the confidence to know exactly what they are planting, harvesting and ultimately introducing into the market.
About Medicinal Genomics Corporation
Medicinal Genomics Corporation applies state-of-the-art life science technology to Cannabis and hemp plant genetics. Our products help growers, dispensaries, and safety testing laboratories characterize and understand the quality of medicinal cannabis. Medicinal Genomics utilizes a highly sophisticated Next Generation Sequencing laboratory, bioinformatics system, and DNA based technologies to deliver unmatched quality and safety testing products as well as the StrainSEEK Identification and Certification service to decipher the genetic identity and quality level of Cannabis and Hemp. Medicinal Genomics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc. For more information, please visit the company on the Web at http://www.medicinalgenomics.com/, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About The List Exchange
Established in 2011, The List Exchange USA LLC operates as Colorado’s original wholesale cannabis platform. The List is a trusted platform that allows buyers and sellers to objectively compare a full range of available product, establishing a greater understanding of competing standards and pricing within the regulated cannabis marketplace. Armed with an established network of regulated cannabis growers and retailers, they have gained first hand access to an unprecedented variety of cannabis strains, and have begun sequencing select strains utilizing the Medicinal Genomics StrainSEEK strain identification and certification service.
