Medicinal Genomics Corporation, a pioneer in the genomics of medicinal plants, today announced the availability of PathogINDICAtor™, a highly robust and automated microbial screening assay for Cannabis.

The PathogINDICAtor™ assay is a novel test designed to accurately detect microbial contamination in medical Cannabis plant material. Toxic mold and bacteria are not desirable in any consumed product, but it is of particular concern with medical Cannabis products, due to the acute risk posed to seriously ill patients who already may have weakened immune systems.

Used in combination with Medicinal Genomics’ SenSATIVAx™ Plant/Microbial DNA Purification Kit, the PathogINDICAtor™ assay tests for the presence of, and identifies the types and amounts of certain pathogenic microbial and fungal species using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results are generated in just hours compared to the days or weeks typically required for traditional microbiological plating methods or sendout labs. qPCR technology is a gold-standard technology employed for years in medical diagnostics and food safety testing.

“Culture based techniques have brought us a long way since Petri invented them in 1892 but only 1% of microbes are able to be cultured, and an unrelated 1% are pathogenic,” states Kevin McKernan, Medicinal Genomics Chief Scientific Officer. “The odds that one can solve this problem with culturing will be viewed as witchcraft once compared to the digital nature of modern day quantitative PCR, coupled with Next Generation Sequencing. The only fatalities in the clinical record for Cannabis use are from the microbes that grow on it, not the plant itself, underscoring the number one priority in Cannabis safety testing”. “We are excited that our collaboration with Medicinal Genomics is helping to birth a qPCR microbiological analysis option that offers quicker cycle times and more specific results than traditional culturing methods,” adds Brad Douglass, Scientific Director for The Werc Shop. “We are hopeful that this technology will ultimately lead to a more nuanced understanding about microbial hazards in Cannabis by helping to discriminate pathogens from the numerous commensal and beneficial organisms that compose the cannabis microbiome.”

Both the PathogINDICAtor™ screening assay and SenSATIVAx™ Plant/ Microbial DNA Purification Kit are available for order from Medicinal Genomics Corporation today.