Text only

Headline News : New Media Releases : Media Releases Archive

One of the world’s leading cannabinoid scientists from the University of Aberdeen joins GW Pharmaceuticals plc
 
The University of Aberdeen is pleased to announce that Roger Pertwee, Professor of Neuropharmacology, has joined the senior management team of GW Pharmaceuticals plc (GW), the company developing a portfolio of non-smoked cannabis-based prescription medicines, as Director of Pharmacology.

Professor Pertwee is one of the world's leading cannabinoid scientists, having researched this area for over 30 years, and is the author of over 220 publications.  He is a Past President of the International Cannabinoid Research Society and is frequently consulted about the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids by parliamentary committees and leading medical organisations. In his role at GW, Professor Pertwee will focus on pharmacology in support of the company's clinical trials programmes and novel research, including the investigation of new therapeutic areas.  He will split his time between working for the University of Aberdeen and GW Pharmaceuticals plc, and will be based in the University’s Institute of Medical Sciences at Foresterhill.

The appointment marks the first step in the planned establishment by GW of a new research entity - the Cannabinoid Research Institute.  The Institute will be a distinct division within the company, with activities being directed by Dr Philip Robson, GW’s Medical Director. The Institute will allow the organisation to expand operations from clinical and pre-clinical work into fundamental cannabinoid research.

Following his appointment, Professor Pertwee said: “The prospect of exploring the pharmacological actions of individual plant cannabinoids separately, and in combination, is exciting for both scientific and clinical reasons.  The setting up of the Institute will greatly facilitate fundamental research into the pharmacology of plant cannabinoids and the exploitation of these constituents of cannabis as medicines.

"Bringing together a pharmaceutical company and academic scientists with a common interest in cannabinoid pharmacology in this way will be a highly effective combination, consisting as it will of three powerful elements: adequate funding, appropriate expertise and research that is focussed and of high-quality."

Dr Robson added: “This is a very exciting time for GW.  We welcome Professor Pertwee and look forward to working with him.   We hope over time to involve other collaborators so that scientists from inside and outside GW can conduct research into the mammalian cannabinoid system and potential therapeutic candidates for cannabis-based medicines.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors
Professor Roger Pertwee has held a Personal Chair in Neuropharmacology at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, since 1999. He is currently International Secretary of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, of which he is also a Past President, and was a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Working Party on Therapeutic Uses of Cannabinoids. He is also Co-chair of the International Union of Pharmacology (IUPHAR) Subcommittee on Cannabinoid Receptors.

He is frequently consulted about the therapeutic potential of cannabis and cannabinoids by, among others, the British Medical Association, the MRC, the Royal Society, and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. He represented the BMA at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Committee on Multiple Sclerosis, convened to answer questions about the BMA report Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis of which he is a contributing author.  He has also given evidence to the House of Commons Parliamentary and Scientific Committee and to the House of Lords Sub-Committee on Cannabis.

A frequent broadcaster, he has written numerous papers and delivered many invited conference presentations on the pharmacology of cannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors. He is the editor of Cannabinoid Receptors, Academic Press, London (1995), and is currently editing a book on the Pharmacology of Cannabinoid Receptors for Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg (to be published in 2004).

The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen is responsible for teaching related to the five biomedical disciplines of Physiology, Pharmacology, Neuroscience, Sport & Exercise Science and Anatomy. The Department has a strong research profile and an international reputation in several areas, including the pharmacology of cannabis and related compounds. Full details can be found at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/prospectus/pgrad/2002/biomedsci.hti

GW Pharmaceuticals operates under licences issued by the UK Home Office to cultivate, possess and supply cannabis for medical research purposes. The company has over 90 staff and maintains close control over all aspects of the research and development process - cultivation, pharmaceutical development, production, clinical trials and regulatory affairs. Full details of GW and the company’s clinical trials programme can be found at www.gwpharm.com

ENDS

Ref: 968pertwee.doc
March 12, 2002

University Press Office on telephone +44 (0)1224-272960 or email a.begg@abdn.ac.uk.