As part of Proposition 64 funding to the CMCR, the Center is pleased to announce three new studies have been selected for funding this year. These proposals were submitted in response to the Spring 2021 call, which was open to all California higher education and nonprofit research institutions. The final selection was based on external peer review, advice of the CMCR’s National Advisory Council, and attentiveness to CMCR priorities.

Principal Investigator: Jeremy Pettus, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology
Institution: UC San Diego
Title: The Effects of THC on Glucose Metabolism and Endothelial Function in Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes
Full funding amount – Primary study: $825,000
Dr. Pettus’s research will evaluate how cannabis, specifically delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), affects glucose metabolism and cardiovascular risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Principal Investigator: Nicholas DiPatrizio, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Institution: UC Riverside
Title: Impact of Cannabis Exposure on Gut Barrier Function in Health and Disease
Full funding amount – Pilot study: $300,000
Dr. DiPatrizio’s pre-clinical study will evaluate the impact of cannabis exposure on gut-barrier function related to diet-induced obesity and a model of human inflammatory bowel disease.

Principal Investigator: Jacques Nguyen, PhD, Assistant Project Scientist, Department of Psychiatry
Institution: UC San Diego
Title: Therapeutic Efficacy of Cannabis and Cannabinoids in Prescription Opioid Abuse and Addiction
Full funding amount – Pilot study: $300,000
Dr. Nguyen’s proposed pre-clinical work will study the therapeutic effects of cannabis and cannabinoids on the behavioral and molecular outcomes of prescription oxycodone addiction and dependence.

Congratulations to the new CMCR Investigators!

- Igor Grant, MD, Director