Professor Raphael Mechoulam is an Israeli organic chemist and professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
Professor Mechoulam was born in Bulgaria (1930), where he studied chemical engineering. After immigrating to Israel he received his MSc in biochemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his PhD. at the Weizmann Institute and completed his postdoctoral studies at the Rockefeller Institute in New York. In 1960 he joined the junior staff of the Weizmann Institute, and in 1985 he became a professor at the Hebrew University.
Cannabidiol (CBD) discovered in 1930 by Roger Adams is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants, along with tetrahyrdocannabinol (THC). CBD has been used to treat inflammation and auto-immune conditions
Mechoulam was possibly the most significant academic to shed light on the active principles of the cannabis plant back in the 1960s, when his work at the Weizmann Institute led to the discovery of the human endo-cannabinoid system, giving him the title the “Godfather of cannabis research”. In a recent Global Health Talk with Michael Lesner, Professor Mechoulam reflects on his lifelong work in cannabis research.
In 2020, Professor Raphael Mechoulam was awarded the Harvey Prize for his ground-breaking research in the world of medicinal cannabis. His studies in this field have given the world a new perspective on cannabis as a healing plant, rather than just a recreational drug. Over the years, the Harvey Prize has become a reliable predictor of the famous Noble Prize. Since 1986, more than 30% of Harvey laureates were ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize.
In this Global Health Talks episode, Professor Mechoulam talks about CBD being used to treat multiple disease states in high doses, although not accepted by many as a recognised drug. The drug however has been included in clinical trials for use on epilepsy participants, a journey of 35 years
Through his research work, Professor Mechoulam Cannabis has found other compounds that show potential for clinical treatment, including anxiety. Medical cannabis in Israel has been available with varying levels of CBD and THC, though in there has been limited dispensing of medical cannabis in countries such as the UK. Compounds in the human body that ‘simulate’ effects of THC and CBD require more detailed investigation. Mechoulam argues, cannabis may not be used to target one particular disease state alone, but more generally.
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Transformative era for medical devices in Asia-Pacific region
APACMed has formed partnerships in the region, but also with MedTech Innovator based in the United States for screening startups in the Asia Pacific region. This reflects 40% of APACmed members being multinational MedTech companies. However 50% of APACMed members are startups from the region itself.
The Asia Pacific MedTech market is forecasted to become the 2nd largest in the world, yet has varying levels of maturity across a diverse number of countries. The region also has large numbers of the ageing population, but spends less than 5% on average in healthcare, for a region where the main disease states are in cardiovascular, orthpedics and diabetes.
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Accelerating technology and innovation in pediatrics
Medical devices in pediatrics is an underserved area due to the characteristics of the patient. Children are usually less likely to be sick, the regulatory and ethical complexity treating children and lastly, the changing nature of growing children’s bodies creating its own challenges.
Support for pediatric medical technology innovators commenced under Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (known as CTIP), has been through the PDC program funded by the US FDA in 2009. To date there have been 4 cycles of the program.
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Preventing surgery related infections
Surgical site infections (SSI) is infection that occurs after surgery in a part of the body where the surgery took place. Surgical site infections are seen as the most common healthcare-associated infection, significantly impacting healthcare resources in the UK and across the World.
Professor Leaper speaks on needing ongoing good antibiotic stewardship to reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant and emergent organisms. The pressures on administering antibiotics have led to tighter management and stewardship of antibiotics.
