Willow Biosciences Inc announced it has boosted its production capacity thanks to a new manufacturing partnership.
The Canadian biotechnology firm has inked a manufacturing services agreement with a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that will help increase fermentation capacity to produce Willow’s FutureGrown platform, which allows large-scale production of pure, consistent, and sustainable products like the highly-valued cannabigerol compound.
In a statement, Vancouver-based Willow said the partnership allows it to accommodate new programs in addition to its cannabinoid portfolio.
READ: Willow Biosciences closes out 2021 with $30.1M in cash as it continues to progress its cannabinoid program
"With the unprecedented demand for precision fermentation assets, having a global network of CDMOs with diverse capabilities is an absolute requirement,” Willow COO Chris Savile told shareholders in a release.
“The addition of this premier CDMO with large scale fermentation assets will ensure Willow's manufacturing capabilities can readily expand to meet market demand."
Willow produces its FutureGrown cannabigerol (CBG) through precision fermentation, which reduces production time and carbon footprint when compared to traditionally grown cannabis extracts.
The firm also said that it successfully completed its Stage 1 toxicology assessment of its FutureGrown CBG product for oral applications, calling it an “important milestone” for biosynthetically produced cannabinoids.
“The assessment concluded that FutureGrown CBG was non-mutagenic, non-clastogenic, non-genotoxic, which is the first step toward concluding Willow's FutureGrown CBG as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) in the United States,” the company said in a statement.
Willow is working with AIBMR Life Sciences Inc to perform the toxicology studies.
Stage 2 studies are set to begin shortly.
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