COSTA MESA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2016 / NEMUS Bioscience, Inc. (NMUS) has announced that Donald I. Abrams, M.D., Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (U.C.S.F.) and Chief of the Hematology-Oncology Division at San Francisco General Hospital, has joined the company's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Abrams, who earned his medical degree at the Stanford University School of Medicine, will provide consultative expertise in the areas of cancer research and the development of palliative care programs using cannabinoid-based medicines. In addition to his current research duties, Dr. Abrams also serves as an integrative oncologist at the U.C.S.F. Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and was co-editor of the Oxford University Press textbook of Integrative Oncology. Nationally, Dr. Abrams has served as President of the Society of Integrative Oncology and is a member of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Physician Data Query: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCI:PDQ(R) CAM) editorial board.
"Dr. Abrams is a very valuable addition to the NEMUS family of researchers," stated Brian Murphy, M.D., M.P.H., who holds the dual roles of CEO and CMO at the company. "He was at the forefront of clinical research early in the HIV/AIDS epidemic and has since become a leader in the field of integrative medicine, incorporating a variety of techniques focused on a holistic approach in supporting patients through their cancer care. Of particular relevance to NEMUS, Dr. Abrams' research has examined the potential benefits of cannabinoid compounds for their safety as well as adjunctive medicines for patients with cancer, HIV and sickle cell disease. He is deeply interested in investigating their role as anti-cancer agents."
"One of the major challenges in optimizing the therapeutic potentials of cannabinoids is delivering these compounds in an effective, targeted way," commented Dr. Abrams. "The unique prodrug platforms that NEMUS is developing present an important opportunity to leverage the benefits that these molecules can provide to patients dealing with debilitating illnesses. I look forward to collaborating with the company and its research partner, the University of Mississippi, in examining the range of therapeutic benefits these molecules could hold."
"The recent in-licensing of CBD derivatives to complement our pro-drug THC program opens up three distinct areas of research in oncology for NEMUS while adding another market dimension to our current focus in ophthalmologic diseases like glaucoma," noted Dr. Murphy. "In addition to the potential direct anti-cancer activity of cannabinoids, NEMUS will also assess our CBD derivatives in cases of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), and our proprietary prodrug of THC as a treatment alternative for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Having Dr. Abrams' counsel in these areas is very important to NEMUS and we are delighted he has joined our advisory board."