Genome Canada

NASDAQ | TSX: ACB Research Project designed to validate breeding genetics connected with fruity aroma, a key patient and consumer preference trait, with positive impact on future innovation EDMONTON, AB, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB) –—the Canadian based leading global medical cannabis company, today announced a research grant provided to the University of British Columbia (UBC) by Genome British Columbia (Genome BC), a not-for-profit organization supporting world-class genomics research and innovation in British Columbia. The project, Genomics-enabled Aroma Breeding in Cannabis, will directly support Aurora's genetics work the project, is led by Drs. Jose Celedon, Principal Scientist, Breeding and Genetics at Aurora, and by Joerg Bohlmann, a professor at UBC, and is focused on validating genetic and chemical markers for fruity aroma in cannabis. This meaningful genetics research aligns with Aurora's breeding goals and will enable the company to enhance its breeding program with greater accuracy and efficiency on consumer-focused traits, positively impacting future innovation. "Through this work Aurora will deepen our understanding of cannabis genetics with a focus on aromas, a leading driver of consumer preference that directly impacts the user experience," said Dr. Jose Celedon, Director, Breeding and Genetics at Aurora. "By collaborating with UBC on this Genome BC-funded project, we are able to fully execute this aroma research without the typical financial constraints, allowing us to continue simultaneous work on additional important breeding traits, such as yield, potency and disease resistance. We are eager to see the outcomes of our work and the impact on the future of cannabis breeding." Aroma is a distinct characteristic of cannabis and an important aspect of consumer inclination. As a leader with one of the most advanced cannabis genetic libraries globally, Aurora will move beyond sensory analysis and into validated aroma markers with this research. Recently, Aurora patented a series of genetic and chemical markers for fruity aroma, identified through its CanD diversity panel. This collaboration will allow Aurora to validate these markers using cutting-edge approaches that would otherwise require significant funding. The data generated from this work will support the discovery and launch of cultivars with unique and improved aromas, alongside high yield and potency. Aurora's in-kind contributions to the project include conducting sensory analysis of fruity aromas, and leading bioinformatic analyses with in-house software. UBC's contributions to the project through Genome BC funding, will involve sequencing transcriptomes, analysing the volatile chemistry, and conducting functional characterization of the genes responsible for fruity aromas in cannabis. If successful, the methods developed in this project will be adapted to explore other aromas and could further strengthen Aurora's aroma-related intellectual property portfolio. This collaboration with UBC underscores Aurora's commitment to innovation and scientific advancement in the cannabis sector. Aurora continues to push the boundaries of cannabis research and development, setting new standards for product quality and consumer satisfaction. About Aurora Cannabis Aurora is opening the world to cannabis, serving both the medical and consumer markets across Canada, Europe, Australia and South America. Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Aurora is a pioneer in global cannabis, dedicated to helping people improve their lives. The Company's adult- use brand portfolio includes Aurora Drift, San Rafael '71, Daily Special, Tasty's, Being and Greybeard. Medical cannabis brands include MedReleaf, CanniMed, Aurora and Whistler Medical Marijuana Co, as well as international brands, Pedanios, Bidiol, IndiMed and Cra. Aurora also has a controlling interest in Bevo Farms Ltd., North America's leading supplier of propagated agricultural plants. Driven by science and innovation, and with a focus on high-quality cannabis products, Aurora's brands continue to break through as industry leaders in the medical, wellness and adult recreational markets wherever they are launched. Learn more at and follow us on X and LinkedIn. About Genome British Columbia Genome BC is a not-for-profit organization that has advanced genomics research and innovation for nearly 25 years, growing a world-class life sciences sector in BC and delivering sustainable benefits for British Columbia, Canada and beyond. Genome BC has attracted over $1 billion in direct co-investment to the province, which has contributed to funding more than 550 genomics research and innovation projects. These initiatives enhance healthcare and address environmental and natural resource challenges, improving the lives of British Columbians. Genome BC also integrates genomics into society by supporting responsible research and innovation and fostering an understanding and appreciation of the life sciences among educators, students and the public. Aurora's Common Shares trade on the NASDAQ and TSX under the symbol "ACB". Forward Looking Information This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law (" forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements made in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Aurora's research funding from Genome BC and associated benefits, including as related to the Company's breeding program, intellectual property and future innovation, as well as statements regarding the Company's continued commitment to innovation and scientific advancement in the cannabis sector. These forward-looking statements are only predictions. Forward looking information or statements contained in this news release have been developed based on assumptions management considers to be reasonable. Material factors or assumptions involved in developing forward-looking statements include, without limitation, publicly available information from governmental sources as well as from market research and industry analysis and on assumptions based on data and knowledge of this industry which the Company believes to be reasonable. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances could cause actual events, results, level of activity, performance, prospects, opportunities or achievements to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, the ability to retain key personnel, the ability to continue investing in infrastructure to support growth, the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms, the continued quality of our products, customer experience and retention, the development of third party government and non-government consumer sales channels, management's estimates of consumer demand in Canada and in jurisdictions where the Company exports, expectations of future results and expenses, the risk of successful integration of acquired business and operations (with respect to the Transaction and more generally with respect to future acquisitions), management's estimation that SG&A will grow only in proportion of revenue growth, the ability to expand and maintain distribution capabilities, the impact of competition, the general impact of financial market conditions, the yield from cannabis growing operations, product demand, changes in prices of required commodities, competition, and the possibility for changes in laws, rules, and regulations in the industry, epidemics, pandemics or other public health crises and other risks, uncertainties and factors set out under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information from dated June 20, 2024 (the "AIF") and filed with Canadian securities regulators available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR+ at and filed with and available on the SEC's website at . The Company cautions that the list of risks, uncertainties and other factors described in the AIF is not exhaustive and other factors could also adversely affect its results. Readers are urged to consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law. SOURCE Aurora Cannabis Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

A special kind of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research. The study shows that in B.C. alone, implementing pharmacogenomic testing could save the provincial public health system an estimated $956 million over 20 years. A special kind of genetic test that helps determine the best antidepressant for patients with moderate-to-severe depression could generate substantive health system savings and greatly improve patient outcomes, according to new research from the University of British Columbia. The study, published today in CMAJ, shows that in B.C. alone, implementing pharmacogenomic testing could save the provincial public health system an estimated $956 million over 20 years. "Pharmacogenomic testing aims to match patients with medications that are more likely to be effective and cause less side effects, based on their genetic profile," said co-senior author Dr. Stirling Bryan (he/him), professor at UBC's school of population and public health, and senior scientist at Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI). "Our findings show that the benefit to patients in B.C. could be enormous, including increased remission rates and better quality of life, while generating significant cost savings by keeping people out of hospitals and more intensive treatment pathways." One in 10 Canadians will experience major depression at some point in their lives, making it one of the largest public health burdens. While more than 35 antidepressant medications are available in Canada, over half of patients don't respond to the antidepressant they are initially prescribed and roughly 27 per cent report adverse effects. Previous studies have shown that up to 42 per cent of the variation in how patients respond to these medications is due to genetic factors. Pharmacogenomic testing uses genetic information, typically obtained using a cheek swab, blood test or saliva sample, to help guide medication selection and dosing. "Genes play an important role in how our bodies metabolize different antidepressants, which ultimately influences their efficacy," said co-senior author Dr. Jehannine Austin, professor of medical genetics and psychiatry at UBC. "The genetic insights provided by pharmacogenomic testing can help physicians make more informed treatment decisions and reduce the lengthy trial-and-error process that many patients experience in finding an effective medication." For the study, the researchers worked with patient partners, clinicians and health system and government partners to develop a simulation model that mimics the experience of patients with major depression, from diagnosis through to treatment, recurrence and recovery. By incorporating B.C. health administrative data, clinical trial data and defined treatment strategies, the model compared the projected journey of 194,149 adults with and without pharmacogenomic testing over a 20-year period. The model showed that pharmacogenomic testing would result in 37 per cent fewer patients experiencing treatment-resistant depression, a situation in which the patients' depression does not improve despite trying several kinds of treatment. Pharmacogenomic testing would also result in patients spending 15 per cent more time without depression symptoms, resulting in an anticipated 1,869 fewer deaths and 21,346 fewer hospital admissions over 20 years. "By incorporating the perspectives of patients with lived and living experience into this model, alongside robust data sets, we are able to carefully simulate the treatment journey of people with major depression," said first author Dr. Shahzad Ghanbarian, a mathematical modeler and health economist at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation, a research group within the VCHRI and affiliated with UBC. "The simulation model is designed to be flexible and could be applied to other jurisdictions beyond B.C., where we might expect to see similar benefits, particularly within a comparable Canadian context." Linda Riches, who lives in Salmon Valley, B.C., has been living with major depression for over 30 years and was one of the patient partners who helped undertake the study. "All people with major depression deserve to feel hopeful about their life. Genetic testing may give them the opportunity to know what treatment they need, not the 10 they didn't need," said Riches. Pharmacogenomic tests are not currently offered through the public health systems across Canada, but patients can pay for them through private companies. The researchers say their analysis makes a strong case for including pharmacogenomic testing as part of routine, publicly-funded health care for people with major depression in B.C., but more work is needed to determine how such testing could be put into practice. "We've shown here this can be effective, and our next step is to figure out the best way to do it, with input from patients, physicians, government and health sector partners," said Dr. Bryan. "Exploration of implementation strategies, such as which health-care professionals are best-suited to deliver pharmacogenomic testing, is the natural next step and remains unexplored in Canada." This study was funded by Genome BC, Genome Canada and Michael Smith Health Research BC.

Several major childhood allergies may all stem from the community of bacteria living in our gut, according to a new study. The research identifies gut microbiome features and early life influences that are associated with children developing any of four common allergies -- eczema, asthma, food allergy and/or hay fever. The findings could lead to methods of predicting whether a child will develop allergies, and ways to prevent them from developing at all. Several major childhood allergies may all stem from the community of bacteria living in our gut, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital. The research, published in Nature Communications, identifies gut microbiome features and early life influences that are associated with children developing any of four common allergies -- eczema, asthma, food allergy and/or hay fever. The findings could lead to methods of predicting whether a child will develop allergies, and ways to prevent them from developing at all. "We're seeing more and more children and families seeking help at the emergency department due to allergies," said Dr. Stuart Turvey, professor in the department of pediatrics at UBC and an investigator at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, and co-senior author on the study. "Hundreds of millions of children worldwide suffer from allergies, including one in three children in Canada, and it's important to understand why this is happening and how it can be prevented." The study is one of the first to examine four distinct school-aged pediatric allergies at once. While these allergic diseases each have unique symptoms, the Turvey lab was curious whether they might have a common origin linked to the infant gut microbiota composition. "These are technically different diagnoses, each with their own list of symptoms, so most researchers tend to study them individually," says Dr. Charisse Petersen, co-senior author on the paper and postdoctoral fellow in the Turvey lab. "But when you look at what is going wrong at a cellular level, they actually have a lot in common." For the study, researchers examined clinical assessments from 1,115 children who were tracked from birth to age five. Roughly half of the children (523) had no evidence of allergies at any time, while more than half (592) were diagnosed with one or more allergic disorders by an expert physician. The researchers evaluated the children's microbiomes from stool samples collected at clinical visits at three months and one year of age. The stool samples revealed a bacterial signature that was associated with the children developing any of the four allergies by five years of age. The bacterial signature is a hallmark of dysbiosis, or an imbalanced gut microbiota, that likely resulted in a compromised intestinal lining and an elevated inflammatory response within the gut. "Typically, our bodies tolerate the millions of bacteria living in our guts because they do so many good things for our health. Some of the ways we tolerate them are by keeping a strong barrier between them and our immune cells and by limiting inflammatory signals that would call those immune cells into action," says Courtney Hoskinson, a PhD candidate at UBC and first author on the paper. "We found a common breakdown in these mechanisms in babies prior to the development of allergies." Many factors can shape the infant gut microbiota, including diet, how we are born, where we live, and our exposure to antibiotics. For example, antibiotics may wipe out sensitive bacteria, while breastfeeding tends to replenish and provide necessary food for bacteria in the infant gut. The researchers examined how these types of influences affected the balance of gut microbiota and the development of allergies. "There are a lot of potential insights from this robust analysis," says Dr. Turvey. "From these data we can see that factors such as antibiotic usage in the first year of life are more likely to result in later allergic disorders, while breastfeeding for the first six months is protective. This was universal to all the allergic disorders we studied." Now the researchers hope to leverage the findings to inform treatments that correct an imbalanced gut microbiota and could potentially prevent allergies from developing. "Developing therapies that change these interactions during infancy may therefore prevent the development of all sorts of allergic diseases in childhood, which often last a lifetime," says Dr. Turvey. The research is part of the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Cohort Study that recruited families through BC Children's Hospital and BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre and other pediatric hospitals across Canada. Since launching in 2008, the team of Canadian researchers has tracked the health, growth and environments of kids from birth and made important discoveries about how asthma and allergies develop. This study was funded by Genome Canada and Genome British Columbia as well as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), BC Children's Hospital Foundation and the Provincial Health Services Authority. The CHILD Cohort Study was made possible through initial funding from the Allergy, Genes, and Environment Network of Centres of Excellence (AllerGen NCE) and CIHR.