The University of British Columbia (UBC) has received a grant to help improve the breeding of more fruity-smelling cannabis.
The $500,000 grant, provided by Genome British Columbia (Genome BC), was announced by Aurora Cannabis Inc., which says the project, Genomics-enabled Aroma Breeding in Cannabis, will directly support the companies’ genetics work around cannabis.
The project is led by Dr. Jose Celedon, Principal Scientist, Breeding and Genetics at Aurora, and by Dr. Joerg Bohlmann, a professor at UBC, focusing on validating genetic and chemical markers for fruity aroma in cannabis.
“Through this work Aurora will deepen our understanding of cannabis genetics with a focus on aromas, a leading driver of consumer preference that directly impacts the user experience,” said Dr. Jose Celedon, Director, Breeding and Genetics at Aurora.
“By collaborating with UBC on this Genome BC-funded project, we are able to fully execute this aroma research without the typical financial constraints, allowing us to continue simultaneous work on additional important breeding traits, such as yield, potency and disease resistance. We are eager to see the outcomes of our work and the impact on the future of cannabis breeding.”
Aurora has been collaborating with researchers at UBC for several years. In 2023, Aurora announced they were teaming up with a UBC researcher to create cannabis more adapted for outdoor production in Canada. The company’s breeding program and cannabis breeding facility, Occo, is in collaboration with an adjunct professor from UBC.
Aurora recently patented a series of genetic and chemical markers for fruity aroma, which were identified through its CanD diversity panel. This new collaboration, says the cannabis company, will allow Aurora to validate these markers using cutting-edge approaches that would otherwise require significant funding. The data generated from this work will support the discovery and launch of cultivars with unique and improved aromas, alongside high yield and potency.
Aurora’s in-kind contributions to the project include conducting sensory analysis of fruity aromas, and leading bioinformatic analyses with in-house software. UBC’s contributions to the project through Genome BC funding will involve sequencing transcriptomes, analyzing the volatile chemistry, and conducting functional characterization of the genes responsible for fruity aromas in cannabis.
If successful, Aurora hopes the methods developed in this project can then be adapted to explore other aromas, strengthening the publicly traded cannabis company’s “aroma-related intellectual property portfolio.”
Genome BC is a not-for-profit organization that has helped conduct genomics research and innovation for nearly 25 years. Genome BC has attracted over $1 billion in direct co-investment to the province, which has contributed to funding more than 550 genomics research and innovation projects. In 2020, Genome BC announced a $4.3 million project to breed powdery mildew-resistant cannabis cultivars.
