// BUSINESS INNOVATIONS //
Deepening the Research Diving Into Eybna Technologies’ Industry-Altering Discoveries By Patricia Miller You’ll often hear people say cannabis science is in its infancy. While it’s true there is much more to learn about the plant, some regions of the world have been studying cannabis intensely for decades. The field of cannabis science was pioneered by Raphael Mechoulam in the 1960s. His research, based in Israel, laid the foundation for our modern understanding of the herb. Nearly 60 years later, Israel remains a leading force in the study of cannabis. Nadav Eyal, CEO and co-founder of Eybna Technologies, is building on this body of research and pioneering his own studies on terpenes, cannabinoids, and their interactions with the endocannabinoid system. In 2020, Eybna discovered a cannabinoid formulation that effectively blocked the novel coronavirus from penetrating living cells. The combination, known as the NT-VRL formulation, is now undergoing clinical study as a potential treatment for the disease. While NT-VRL is a remarkable discovery, it may ultimately pale in comparison to Eybna’s more recent revelation around receptor-specific cannabinoid formulations. In this interview, Eyal discusses what inspired him to study cannabis and how his latest research will change the industry forever. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Hear the whole interview at www.cannatechtoday.com/podcasts. Cannabis & Tech Today: What drew you to study cannabis? Nadav Eyal: My journey through the cannabis industry started back in 2008. I was very involved in my mother’s treatment with cancer. That’s when I was exposed to the term medical cannabis, but at the same time in Israel, it was very early days for the medical program. Unfortunately, my mother didn’t use cannabis and she passed away. The same year, I joined military intelligence in the army. So this was a turning point in my life that 56
Cannabis & Tech Today // Winter 2021
drew me into the cannabis industry. In military intelligence I was doing mostly data science, big data, and understanding how data can help us to make better decisions. Ultimately, I found we could use data science methods to change the language from conversations about strains, such as OG Kush and Super Lemon Haze, to conversations about molecules such as limonene, and CBN, and THCV, which allows us to apply real science to the cannabis industry. It also allows us to avoid the inconsistency of cannabis products in order to let people that have real medical conditions enjoy the benefits of the plant. C&T Today: Last year, you found a combination of cannabinoids with the potential to treat or even prevent coronavirus infections in human lung cells. When did you realize you had made a significant discovery? NE: In this research, one of the things that I remember is the phone call I got from the lead manager, calling me and asking, “What the hell did you give us here?” Because what happened is that in the research, she found that the NT-VRL formulation was blocking the penetration of the coronavirus to the cells. This opened our eyes to terpenes being a very useful immunity product. So we decided to do another test versus a cytokine storm. We found that the same NT-VRL formulation worked better than dexamethasone, which is a steroid used in hospitals to treat conditions of inflammation. So these two [findings] together were strong enough for us to take it a few steps forward and prepare a clinical study in Israel. It is going to take the formulation we developed and test it versus coronavirus in human trials. This is ongoing right now, and we’ll be happy to share more results moving forward. C&T Today: You recently developed a line of
phytochemical formulations targeted to specific wellness goals. How are these formulations unique in the industry? NE: Since the beginning of the company we have been envisioning this line that we launched in the last two months. It’s basically a new category of product called receptor-specific formulations. So what does it mean? If we try to break down how the different compounds in the plant are activating the human body, the smallest resolution we can measure is the interaction between one compound and one receptor. So for example, we are familiar with the endocannabinoid system and the CB1 and CB2 receptors. The endocannabinoid system itself has six small receptors. And the same as the endocannabinoid system, we have other systems in the body such as the dopamine system, the serotonin system, and the GABA system. All of them are being activated by the phytochemicals found in the cannabis plant. So in the last six years of research, we were mapping the interactions of thousands of compounds in the cannabis plant with different receptors in the human body. We were able to measure which one of them is activating which type of receptors in our body.
