What is the next step for identifying which markers to use for breeding?

Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

Manny Maminakis is the inventor and CEO of Cannamatrix INC, a cannabis bioinfomratics platform. Prior to Cannamatrix, Manny spent 12 years in the cannabis industry as an award winning cannabis cultivator and edible chef.

At CannMed 26, he presented a poster titled “Computational Identification of Volatile Sulfur Compound Synthase Homologs in Cannabis sativa Using Profile Hidden Markov Models”

During our conversation, we discuss:
* What volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) are and why they give certain cannabis strains their skunky, garlicky smell
* How Manny's path from cannabis cultivator and award-winning edible chef led him into bioinformatics at Canimatrix
* Why the GMO ("garlic mushroom onion") cultivar was chosen as the ideal candidate for studying VSCs
* How hidden Markov models were used to find candidate VSC genes by comparing cannabis proteins to garlic, onion, and other sulfur-producing plants
* And more!

Thanks to This Episode's Sponsor: Cannamatrix

Cannamatrix is a genetic software company that empowers growers to select the best of the best from their seed stock. Their patented system of genetic testing with predictive algorithms helps growers harness the maximum potential of Cannabis while preserving the natural genetic makeup and reducing resource allocation, and saving time and money!

Visit cannamatrix.com to learn more

Related Resources
* Computational Identification of Candidate Gene Families for Volatile Sulfur Compound Biosynthesis in Cannabis sativa Using Profile Hidden Markov Models - biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.18.745489v1
* CannMed Archive - cannmedevents.com/cannmed-video-archives
* Manny the Canna Biologist on IG - instagram.com/mannythecannabiologist

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$Transforming Cannabidiol: Rational Design of Next-Generation CBD Analogues for Epilepsy -Luke Hodson Luke Hodson presents Transforming Cannabidiol: Rational Design of Next-Generation CBD Analogues for Epilepsy at CannMed 2026, covering CBD analogues, epilepsy treatment, and drug discovery. This work set out to develop a next-generation CBD analogue platform through rational scaffold engineering and targeted derivatization. The structural changes were designed to reduce CBDs major liabilities of CYP inhibition, poor solubility, rapid metabolism, and hepatic concerns, while preserving the key molecular interactions responsible for its antiseizure activity. A central design principle was to achieve higher and more sustained therapeutic brain concentrations, enabling predictable pharmacokinetics and once-daily oral dosing. More than 50 CBD analogues were generated using a scaffold-engineering strategy guided by known metabolic hotspots and physicochemical liabilities of cannabidiol. Structural modifications were selected to improve solubility, metabolic stability, CYP interaction profiles, and off-target safety. Analogues were evaluated in vitro for solubility, microsomal stability, CYP inhibition, hepatocyte viability, and receptor-level safety screens. Lead candidates underwent in vivo plasma and brain pharmacokinetic studies in mice. Antiseizure efficacy was assessed following oral administration across three validated preclinical seizure models. Exploratory hepatic and tolerability assessments supported translational evaluation. In vitro profiling showed that scaffold-engineered CBD analogues achieved substantial improvements in solubility, enhanced metabolic stability, and markedly reduced CYP inhibition across major isoforms, indicating a significantly lower drug-drug interaction risk. Exploratory safety assays demonstrated higher hepatocyte viability, cleaner hepatic biomarker profiles, and reduced off-target activity at cardiovascular, opioid, and cholinergic receptors, supporting a more favorable safety margin. These in vitro gains translated into major in vivo pharmacokinetic advantages. Lead analogues produced multi-fold increases in CNS exposure, up to six-fold higher brain concentrations than CBD, and improved brain-to-plasma ratios, resulting in more sustained and therapeutically relevant brain levels. PK profiles showed markedly lower inter-animal variability, yielding predictable exposure kinetics compatible with once-daily dosing. Improved exposure and preserved mechanistic interactions produced greater antiseizure potency and efficacy across three validated preclinical seizure models, including the MES assay. The optimized analogues achieved robust oral efficacy at lower doses due to higher and longer-lasting therapeutic brain concentrations. Together, these improvements support a broader therapeutic index and validate the scaffold-engineering strategy as a viable route for creating drug-like cannabidiol analogues. Rational synthetic derivatization and medicinal chemistry enabled the creation of next-generation CBD analogues that overcome major drug-like liabilities of cannabidiol while preserving the molecular features required for antiseizure activity. The resulting compounds show improved solubility, reduced CYP interactions, enhanced hepatic and off-target safety, and multi-fold increases in brain exposure with more predictable, once-daily pharmacokinetics. These advances produced superior oral antiseizure efficacy at lower doses and support this platform as a promising route for developing clinically viable cannabidiol-based therapeutics for refractory epilepsy. Learning Objectives: ⦿ Understand how scaffold-engineered CBD analogues improve solubility, metabolism, CYP and safety profiles, achieve higher and longer-lasting therapeutic brain levels, and support predictable once-daily oral dosing with strong anti-seizure efficacy Luke Hodson, PhD, is a medicinal chemist and translational drug discovery leader specializing in cannabinoid therapeutics for refractory epilepsy and neurosteroid therapeutics for traumatic brain injury. His work focuses on engineering next-generation small molecules that overcome poor solubility, rapid metabolism, CYP-mediated drug interactions, and hepatic liability to enable safer, more effective CNS treatments. At Sensa Neurosciences, Dr. Hodson serves as a Senior Scientist in Drug Discovery, contributing to medicinal chemistry strategy, structure-property optimization, and preclinical planning for next-generation cannabinoid therapeutics. This presentation was given at the CannMed 2026 Innovation & Collaboration Summit, held June 15-18 at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort. Visit cannmedevents.com to learn more.$