Speakers: Bonni Goldstein, MD & Itzhak Kurek, PhD
Join us for a robust discussion with Bonni Goldstein, MD & Itzhak Kurek, PhD moderated by Zach Moore, PhD as we discover their newest publication, “Cannabis-Responsive Biomarkers: A Pharmacometabolomics-Based Application to Evaluate the Impact of Medical Cannabis Treatment on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental conditions that impact behavior, communication, social interaction, and learning abilities. Treatment of ASD with medical cannabis (MC) shows promising results in reducing the severity of certain behavioral aspects. The goals of this observational study are to demonstrate the potential of metabolic biomarkers to (1) objectively determine the impact on metabolites of MC treatment and (2) suggest the metabolic pathways of children with ASD, who respond to MC treatment.
Learn More About Dr. Bonni Goldstein:
Dr. Bonni Goldstein
Bonni Goldstein, MD is the Medical Director of Canna-Centers Wellness & Education, a California-based medical practice devoted to educating patients about the use of cannabis for serious and chronic medical conditions. She completed her internship and residency at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she also served as chief resident. After years of working in the specialty of Pediatric Emergency medicine, she developed an interest in the science of medical cannabis after witnessing its beneficial effects in an ill friend. Over the last 13 years she has evaluated thousands of patients for use of medical cannabis and is recognized as an expert in the clinical application of cannabis therapeutics. She has a special interest in treating children with intractable epilepsy, autism, cancer and other conditions. Her latest book, “Cannabis is Medicine: How Medical Cannabis and CBD are Healing Everything from Anxiety to Chronic Pain” was published in September 2020 by Little, Brown Spark. Dr. Goldstein recently co-authored a peer-reviewed article researching the use of Cannabis-Responsive biomarkers to document cannabis treatment efficacy, guide clinical decision-making and improve outcomes.
Learn More About Itzhak Kurek, PhD:
Itzhak Kurek, PhD
Itzhak Kurek, PhD is the co-founder and CEO of Cannformatics, Inc. a San Francisco-based biotechnology startup developing saliva-based Cannabis-Responsive™ biomarkers as a universal tool for the objective measurement of the physiological impact of any cannabinoid-based treatment. He has executive and research management experience in the Ag-Biotech, Nutritional Supplements and Biobased Products businesses. Previously he held positions at Solix Algredients, Kiverdi, Pioneer Hi-Bred (DuPont) and Maxygen. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers and patents. Dr. Kurek received his Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from Tel Aviv University and completed his postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Kurek has also conducted research at the Technical University of Munich, John Innes Center Norwich, C.N.R.S Bordeaux and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories.
