Trait Biosciences, an integrated biotechnology innovator in the cannabis industry, has reported securing patent protection for breakthrough technology platforms that produce water-soluble cannabinoids and dramatically increase cannabinoid yields in hemp and cannabis.
The U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) granted allowance for the company’s patent application entitled “High Level In Vivo Biosynthesis and Isolation of Water-Soluble Cannabinoids in Plant Systems”.
The patent, which was applied for in August 2018 and allowed in just under one year, offers Trait robust protection over all key technological components for its Distilled and Amplified technologies.
“This is another pivotal day for us,” Dr. Richard Sayre, chief science officer of Trait, said in a statement. “The allowance of this Patent gives us robust protection over two of our platform technologies — Trait Distilled and Trait Amplified — which, we are confident, will change the future of the cannabis and hemp industries.”
“What makes the allowance of this Patent more gratifying is the scope of protection that the USPTO has given us — the Patent covers every gene/enzyme from all organisms claimed in the Patent. It is uncommon for the USPTO to grant such broad protection over classes of genes and enzymes in this manner. It is a testament to the hard work, innovation and experience of our science team, and the excellent IP strategy that has been developed by our IP counsel,” Sayre added.
Trait Distilled Cannabinoids
Trait Distilled is the company’s technology that uses a natural process to convert fat-soluble cannabinoids into cannabinoids that are tasteless, odorless, fully soluble in water and have higher bioavailability than fat-soluble cannabinoids. These characteristics make Trait Distilled cannabinoids ideal for use in cannabis and hemp beverages and other products because they are an alternative to the current industry reliance on nano- and micro-emulsion particle technologies.
Regulators such as Health Canada, the European Union and the OECD are expressing concern about the use of nanotechnologies, and potentially harmful impacts to human health.
“These patented platforms reinforce Trait’s leadership in providing the Hemp and Cannabis Industry the innovative technology needed to develop high-quality products that consumers can trust,” Trait CEO Peter McDonough stated. “We’re excited to provide our partners the breakthrough solutions associated with this science, which offers a powerful competitive advantage in product development.”
Trait Amplified increases plant trichome production, and offers greater photosynthetic efficiency, resulting in cannabinoid yield increases of 2x to 5x higher than conventional plants.
Amplified also allows plants to produce water-soluble cannabinoids within the plant itself, enabling the extraction of cannabinoids through simple, water-based extraction techniques. This can replace high-intensity, solvent-based extraction techniques that use toxic chemicals, which can leave unwanted residues.
The company is currently in discussions with potential partners to scale up production of its Trait Distilled cannabinoids.