BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (CSE:BHSC, OTC:CNVCF) said it has hired Dr Brian S. Cornblatt as its chief medical officer, marking a “significant milestone” in its plan to develop next generation therapeutic solutions, including botanical drugs.
"We are delighted to welcome Dr Cornblatt to the leadership team at BioHarvest at a time of transition and growth for us," Ilan Sobel, the CEO of BioHarvest said in a statement.
"He will help us lead the charge as we take steps to actively expand our line up of clinically based nutraceutical products and move into medicinal prescription products with our polyphenol-based products and cannabis product line up," Sobel added.
READ: BioHarvest Sciences reveals unique composition profile of cannabis products suitable for medical and food and beverage applications
Cornblatt has previously served as director of consumer clinical research and science and as medical director at Nutramax Laboratories Consumer Care Inc, where he developed novel nutraceutical formulations, designed both in vitro and clinical studies in support of products, and summarized both supporting laboratory and clinical research for healthcare workers and consumers.
His most recent development has been a novel line of products - and 18 related clinical trials - which deliver the essential ingredients needed to support the production of sulforaphane, a phytochemical with many emerging indications, BioHarvest noted.
He is also the inventor of three issued patents and four pending provisional patents focused on plant-based bioactive compounds and health promotion, the company added.
Cornblatt is a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine graduate with a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences Division of Toxicology.
Commenting on his appointment, Cornblatt said: "I am excited about the opportunities that BioHarvest has in the medicinal space based on the CELLicitation technology. Some of the existing products can already form a potential for future botanical drugs and I am looking at expanding the indications for which unique products like VINIA can be used. I look forward to working with the capable R&D team to bring to the world unique, clinically based therapeutic solutions."
BioHarvest is seeking to receive authorization in Israel to produce cannabis for commercial purposes and is also looking to expand production facilities to North America. The company recently announced that it has produced a meaningful amount (10 kilograms) of full-spectrum cannabis biomass at a commercial scale without growing the plant itself.
Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com