Funding Opportunity Announced for Cannabis Cancer Treatment Research |

Grant funding will be available shortly for researchers working on the treatment of cannabis.

A Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) (entitled Basic Mechanisms of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Action in Cancer) was published by the NIH’s National Cancer Institute on May 5 with the intention of “promoting research to understand the mechanisms by which cannabis and cannabinoids influence cancer biology, cancer trapping, cancer treatment and resistance, and cancer symptom management.”

In the release, the NIH explains that while the reason for these efforts is the growing number of cancer patients seeking relief from medicinal cannabis, there aren’t enough studies to confirm its effectiveness. “Cancer patients use cannabis and cannabinoids to manage the symptoms of cancer and cancer treatments, including anorexia, nausea and pain,” notes NOSI. “Recent survey results suggest that a quarter of cancer patients have used cannabis to manage symptoms. Despite the increase in cannabis and cannabinoid use, research on their health effects, including potential harms and benefits, remains limited.”

The communication summarizes what is currently known about cannabis treatment for cancer by explaining that risk data for cancer patients are not widely available. “Epidemiological studies on cannabis use and cancer risk have produced limited and conflicting results,” the notice said. “While cannabis smoke produces many of the same carcinogens as tobacco, studies to date have found no association between cannabis smoking and lung cancer risk.” The notice uses the example of cannabis smoking, which is also linked to testicular cancer.

It also briefly defines the activity of various cannabinoid receptors in the human body using animal models and cancer cell lines. “Cancer cell line experiments show that THC and CBD can mediate many antitumor effects, including induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell proliferation, invasion and angiogenesis,” notes the NOSI. “These anti-tumor activities led to early clinical testing of THC and CBD in glioblastoma and prostate cancer. While preclinical studies show differential effects of cannabinoids on cancer cells, a deeper understanding of how the tumor-promoting and -suppressive mechanisms of cannabinoid signaling influence cancer biological processes is needed.”

Finally, the notice summarizes the current status of Food and Drug Administration-approved synthetic cannabinoids, dronabinol and nabilone, used to treat chemotherapy. “Cancer treatments increasingly involve targeted and immunological therapies, but little is known about whether and how cannabis and cannabinoids affect their effectiveness.”

NOSI concludes by inviting researchers whose focus on these topics (cancer risk, cannabinoid ligands and receptors, cancer biology, cancer treatment and symptom management) can lead to a variety of research opportunities.

The NIH will not consider applications for studies that include clinical trials, “symptoms unrelated to cancer or cancer treatment,” or “projects lacking cancer models, samples, or cells.” Instead, the agency is looking for more specific study methods so researchers can be considered. “Studies that integrate expertise from multiple disciplines, incorporate state-of-the-art human-relevant models (e.g., organoid or patient-derived xenograft models), and use advanced technologies and methods are strongly encouraged.” June apply for a scholarship.

In December 2021, the NCI published a paper addressing the challenges holding back cannabis and cannabinoid research. “Conflicting state and federal cannabis regulations impede research in a variety of ways, including the inability of researchers to access products that are legal in their state, a lack of standardization and quality control of cannabis and cannabis-derived products within and between states, and none nationally Supervision of this standardization and quality control or the industry.”

Although government agencies have historically conducted limited studies related to medicinal cannabis, many other study efforts have begun examining cannabis use in cancer patients. The Virginia Commonwealth University of Massey Cancer Center published a study in August 2021 and found that cancer patients use cannabis less than the general public. A study published in December 2020 found that a third of Canadian cancer patients also reported cannabis use.