Analytical Cannabis Expo 2019

2 apr
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM ( 1 Hour )
Registration & Coffee
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM ( 10 Min )
Welcome Address
9:10 AM - 9:55 AM ( 45 Min )
Keynote: State of the Cannabis Industry: Testing and regulations
Dr Donald Land
Chief Scientific Consultant
Steep Hill
Keynote
9:55 AM - 10:25 AM ( 30 Min )
Regulatory Requirements: Establishing practical analytical test limits
Dr Susan Audino
Chemistry Laboratory Consultant
S.A. Audino & Associates, LLC
Speaker
10:25 AM - 10:55 AM ( 30 Min )
Bridging the Gap Between Regulations and Science
Dr Swetha Kaul
Chief Scientific Officer
Cannalysis
Speaker
10:55 AM - 11:25 AM ( 30 Min )
Coffee & Networking in Exhibition Hall

11:25 AM - 11:55 AM ( 30 Min )
How Cannabis-Derived Medications Go Through the FDA Approval Process
Securing approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is difficult for any investigational medication, but the challenges are even greater for products derived from botanical materials. In addition, there are additional hurdles and requirements for products containing substances that may affect the central nervous system (CNS). Strict control of the conditions of cultivation and harvest of the botanical starting material is the essential first step. Multiple quality control steps, specifications (agreed to by FDA), and batch-to-batch consistency are required at each point along the way as the botanical raw material moves through various stages into a finished drug product. Since cannabis is classified in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, special federal and state license and security requirements apply. Because cannabinoids have CNS activity, a full battery of abuse potential studies must be conducted. Upon FDA approval, a new cannabinoid product must be rescheduled under both state and federal law before it can be dispensed by pharmacies.
Alice Mead
Vice President, U.S. Professional Relations
Greenwich Biosciences
Speaker
11:55 AM - 12:25 PM ( 30 Min )
Conducting Research While Under the Demands of Bottom Line Production
Brian Vifian
Director of Operations
BAS Research
12:25 PM - 12:55 PM ( 30 Min )
Cannabis Extraction Section 1 - Session 2
Dr Paul Roethle
Founder & CEO
Peridot Labs & CHEMISTRY
Speaker
12:55 PM - 2:00 PM ( 1 Hour, 5 Min )
Lunch & Poster Presentations in the Exhibition Hall
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM ( 30 Min )
The Significance of Expanded Chemovar Classification
One of the impacts of the domestication of cannabis has been the loss of chemical diversity as represented by cannabinoids. The curiosity is that while cannabis breeders in North America have largely bred out CBD in lieu of high THC, there remains great chemical biodiversity outside of cannabinoids in modern cannabis strains. As a scientist, it is natural to be curious about what secondary metabolites are subtly contributing to the entourage effect that is experienced by the individual cannabis user. On the flip side of that are the now thousands of cannabis strains currently being cultivated in legal and illegal markets with chemically identical plant material being sold under several different names by different growers. Today there is absolutely no clear definition of the concept of a strain. Strain names have become branding vocabulary. There is a need to further expand the chemotyping of cannabis cultivars to more fully understand the impact of minor cannabis secondary metabolites.
Dr Cindy Orser
Chief Science Officer
DigiPath Labs
Speaker
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM ( 30 Min )
Leveraging ESI and APCI LC/MS Techniques to Meet the Most Demanding Global Cannabis & Hemp Pesticide Testing Requirements
A new analytical LC-MS/MS method has been developed and validated to allow cannabis laboratories to complete the entire Pesticide assay (including all the California and Canadian list pesticides) in one quick method, using one instrument. Data will be presented to show the long-term stability of the method, the simplicity of sample preparation and techniques to overcome matrix effects, robustness towards any contamination from the dirty matrices from cannabis extracts, and detection limits well below the State requirements (LOQ<=10 ppb). References will show that having a validated method and SOP for the cannabis testing industry is key in ensuring the highest quality of cannabis reaches the patient. In addition, the influences of the various cannabis sample types tested will be discussed, and details specified on how to handle flower, concentrates, and edibles.
Dr Toby Astill
Senior Business Development Leader for Cannabis & Hemp Markets
PerkinElmer
Speaker
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM ( 30 Min )
Coffee & Networking in Exhibition Hall
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM ( 30 Min )
Variability in Cannabis Testing: Inter-laboratory discrepancies in test results
Dr Chris Hudalla
Founder & Chief Scientific Officer
ProVerde Laboratories
4:00 PM - 4:20 PM ( 20 Min )
Tech Spotlight
4:20 PM - 4:40 PM ( 20 Min )
Roles of 1700 series ISO Standards in helping establish confidence in Cannabis testing
We will examine the positive relationship between the state governments who write and enforce cannabis regulations and the private sector working in this new industry. Besides tests for potency, most state regulations detail what characteristics medical or recreational marijuana must meet to be sold commercially. Helping balance the need for safety and transparency is the third-party accreditation body who assess to the most appropriate QMS standard: ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17034 for cannabis reference material production and ISO/IEC 17043 for cannabis proficiency testing providers. This presentation will detail common aspects of the ISO 17000-series standards where they come together to help the laboratory’s accreditation to the laboratory in providing the critical assurance to customers and the public at large that the product testing performed in accredited laboratories has been to the highest standards.
Roger Brauninger
Biosafety Program Manager
A2LA
Speaker
4:40 PM - 5:20 PM ( 40 Min )
Panel Discussion
5:20 PM - 6:30 PM ( 1 Hour, 10 Min )
Mixer in Exhibition Hall

Apr 03
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM ( 1 Hour )
Coffee & Networking
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM ( 45 Min )
Keynote: The Future of Cannabis Testing
Dr Gary Ward
Chief Compliance Officer
PacLab Analytics
Keynote
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM ( 30 Min )
New Strategies in Pesticides Residue Analysis on Cannabis Products
Ini Afia
Executive Lab Director
CannaSafe Analytics
Speaker
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM ( 30 Min )
Quality Control of Cannabis Products Under A Pharmaceutical Model
Jose Zavaleta
Lab Director
AltaSci
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM ( 30 Min )
Coffee & Networking in Exhibition Hall
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM ( 30 Min )
Cannabis Testing Labs: Fully functional from scratch
Dr Jaclyn Thomson
Director of Research and Development
Northern Vine Labs
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM ( 30 Min )
Environmental Screening Cannabis Case Study: Key to microbial testing success
Dr Reggie Gaudino
President, Chief Science Officer and VP Science, Genetics and Intellectual Property
Steep Hill
12:15 PM - 12:35 PM ( 20 Min )
Tech Spotlight
12:35 PM - 1:35 PM ( 1 Hour )
Lunch & Networking in Exhibition
1:35 PM - 2:05 PM ( 30 Min )
Gene Networks and Marker Assisted Breeding: Understanding both and using them to your advantage
Dr Reggie Gaudino
President, Chief Science Officer and VP Science, Genetics and Intellectual Property
Steep Hill
Speaker
2:05 PM - 2:35 PM ( 30 Min )
Using Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technologies to Fund the De Novo Sequencing, Assembly, and Open Access Publishing of the Cannabis sativa L. Genome
As next-generation sequencing accelerates discoveries in genome biology, the current peer review system is becoming a bottleneck to share such work. Concurrently, the rate of non-reproducible manuscripts is increasing. Blockchain technologies have the potential to help streamline the peer review process, improve data immutability, and provide authors the ability to mathematically prove attribution and timestamps. We chose to sequence and assemble a comprehensive cannabis genome, the plant that is the basis of a $50B industry, as a demonstrative model for a blockchain recorded peer review. This included the use of cryptocurrencies to fund the sequencing and genome assembly along with providing a reviewer incentive to pro-actively review the data and digitally sign each edit on a blockchain. A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) (Dash Cryptocurrency) provided funding via a monthly competitive review and open access award. Using cryptocurrency as an alternative funding source, over 134Gb of Pacific Biosystems sequence data (N50 RL = 41kb) was generated and assembled in a 77-day window from funding to public upload. The highly AT-rich and very repetitive genome assembled into a total of 510 contigs with an initial 2N = 1.06 Gb genome size where the N50 contig size was 3.84Mb. The genome demonstrates a 97% complete BUSCO score which is more complete than any cannabis genome to date. An additional 600M HiC reads expanded the N50 scaffold size to 75Mb across 233 contigs. We observe the CBCA, THCA and CBDA synthase gene clusters have been phased onto respective contigs demonstrating tandem repeat expansions. Interestingly, although the plant was grown in a clean, hydroponic environment, we identified 48 contigs associated with microbial genomes. We also observed high coverage but hypomethylated heteroplasmy for the chloroplast genome that exhibited little to no Hi-C autosomal contacts. To ensure the highest quality assembly is public and open access, we recruited 3 independent reviewers to review, comment, challenge, and improve the assembly, enshrining those reviews as part of the open publication process.
Kevin McKernan
CSO & Founder
Medicinal Genomics
2:35 PM - 3:05 PM ( 30 Min )
Leveraging New Genome Assemblies for QTL Mapping and Gene Discovery
The genomic/genetic information available for Cannabis increased 10X in 2018. This essential task was accomplished by using Next-Generation Sequencing techniques that produce 100’s of millions of data points to identify and study DNA differences among Cannabis varieties (strains). Therefore, we currently have a plethora of genotype information, but a serious lack of phenotype (expression) information. To discover the genes, and gene combinations responsible for chemical differences, we need high-quality phenotype data. Both types of data are combined to identify the gene(s) responsible for a chemical profile and potency, or other traits, such as pest resistance. Once we know the causative gene, we can “track” that gene in any Cannabis accession/variety/line/cultivar to make predictions and breed cultivars with a stable phenotype for consistent end products.
Dr CJ Schwartz
CEO/CSO/Founder
Marigene and Hempgene
Speaker
3:05 PM - 3:35 PM ( 30 Min )
Coffee & Networking in Exhibition Hall
3:35 PM - 4:05 PM ( 30 Min )
Transformative Breeding: How strategic partnerships will drive the future of cannabis
Dr Mowgli Holmes
Co-founder, CEO
Phylos Bioscience
Speaker
4:05 PM - 4:35 PM ( 30 Min )
Integrated Management Systems: Minimizing the impact of state-by-state and International regulations while scaling your business
Shannon Swantek
Senior Scientist, CEO
Enlightened Quality Analytics
Speaker
4:35 PM - 4:35 PM ( 0 Min )
Conference Close