National Post: Fishing for the future: Canadian professor gets noticed for growing cannabis inside microalgae

Sounds fishy, but it’s not.

A professor at the University of Québec at Trois-Rivières has been recognized for her part in helping to identify a natural, viable and cost-effective way that could reduce the price level of cannabinoids by growing THC and CBD inside microscopic algae.

For that, Isabel Desgagné-Penix has received the Mitacs Award for Exceptional Leadership – Professor. Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that encourages innovation in Canada by applying academic research to the business challenges facing the country and the world.

Working with biosynthetic company Algae-C, Desgagné-Penix was able to alter microalgae genes to enable the algae to produce the components found in cannabis, reported TVA Nouvelles. “We have demonstrated that we can isolate and produce cannabinoids in the algae in the laboratory, which requires less light, less nutrients and less space than traditional cannabis cultivation,” she said.

“Not only is the process natural and viable, it is also cost-effective and should ultimately reduce the price level of cannabinoids, which are currently generating a lot of interest in their pharmaceutical benefits,” she added.

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