Bioharvest Sciences (BHSC.C) new R&D win means growing cannabis biomass in bioreactors

Bioharvest Sciences (BHSC.C) finished producing cannabis biomass in large-scale industrial bioreactors, representing the company’s cannabis research and development program.

Late last year, BHSC announced they could produce cannabis biomass without the necessity of growing the plant itself. Instead they used large scale industrial bioreactors, which they have stated is the start of their transition to commercial scale manufacturing. Now they’re looking to pick up a production license in Israel for their products in addition to the research and development license they used to develop the program.

“I am elated and proud of this achievement. The R&D team has relentlessly pursued this moment, which marks a new era for the Cannabis industry. Our proprietary and unique amalgamated trichome structure has proven resistant to shear forces applied during the cell growth process in liquid media and it will demonstrate more advantages when it comes to the medicinal application of our products. I have never doubted our ability to use our CELLicitation technology to produce Cannabis without the need to grow the plant itself and we have broken biological barriers to grow high performance trichomes in liquid suspension. We are now ready to bring our first unique Cannabis compositions to the world. We will of course continue to invest in Cannabis R&D to add more Cannabis products to the portfolio, appreciate the IP assets and drive even further manufacturing efficiencies,” said Dr Yochi Hagay, chief technology officer for the company.

The company intends on putting products on shelves later on this year and will be converting their VINIA facility in Rehovot, Israel to cannabis production, which will be happening at the same time as moving their VINIA manufacturing to their facility in Yavneh, Israel.

“Our unprecedented achievements present a great opportunity for the Cannabis industry. Consistent, clean, and efficacious Cannabis that is produced with the highest ESG credentials and capital efficiency with significantly lower manufacturing costs is the revolution this industry needs to gain further market traction and trust by the regulators worldwide. Our CELLicitation platform technology is a true market disruptor, cementing Bioharvest’s position as a leader in plant cellular biology. With the completion of the initial Cannabis R&D program, more focus can now be applied towards achieving the desired scale for our two business verticals, Polyphenols/Antioxidants and Cannabis,” said Ilan Sobel, CEO.

There’s not a lot of information to be found on the process, but here’s a helpful YouTube clip.