Following years of research, Aurora Cannabis received a patent that allows the company to better identify and select for autoflowering traits in cannabis plants. 

The patent, filed in April 2022, was awarded in June 2024 for US Patent 12,002,546, “Methods of Determining Sensitivity to Photoperiod in Cannabis”. The work provides an opportunity to support future breeding strategies and can be leveraged to “revolutionize” outdoor cannabis cultivation in high-latitude regions, such as Canada, the company says. 

“As a company backed by science, we have long invested in research both independently and with leading academic institutions, and have achieved significant learning from our work,” says Jose Celedon, PhD, Director, Breeding and Genetics at Aurora, who is named on the patent. “Our recent work on autoflowering will be a gamechanger for cannabis and hemp production. This research speaks to our expertise and investment in science that will move this industry forward.”

So-called “autoflower” cannabis plants reach maturity and enter into the flowering phase not on the changing amount of daylight, but based on the plant’s age. Autoflowers are generally created by cross-breeding more traditional commercial high THC cultivars with Cannabis ruderalis, a subspecies of Cannabis native to Central and Eastern Europe and Russia that does not rely on a changing photoperiod for flower production. 

Autoflowers are especially useful in outdoor settings in northern climates like Canada, with shorter growing seasons.

Aurora has significantly invested in cannabis breeding since 2018, especially through its breeding facility in Vancouver Island’s Comox Valley. A recent investor report from Aurora says that since June 2019, the company has delivered 19 new proprietary cultivars from its research programs. In November 2021, Aurora also launched its new genetics licensing business unit, Occo, as part of its Comox facility. 

Aurora’s research has launched new cultivars like Chemango Kush, Pink Diesel ’71, Cosmic Cream, Moon Berry, Critical Diesel, Ginger Breath CKS, and Black Jelly into the European and Australian markets. Aurora also hopes to generate income through the licensing of these cultivars to other licensed producers and has in the past said they would aggressively target any companies using their genetics without their permission. 

In 2023, Aurora announced they were teaming up with a UBC researcher to create cannabis more adapted for outdoor production in Canada. The team was said to be working on developing more suitable commercial cultivars for use in outdoor settings by cross-breeding so-called autoflower characteristics into “elite” cannabis genetics.

Dr. Caledon, the director of breeding and genetics at Aurora Cannabis, is part of that program. 

“As a global cannabis company enabled by science, we are proud to invest in the continued advancement of cannabis cultivation that will positively impact the longevity of the industry in Canada,” Caledon said in 2023. “Our long-standing relationship with UBC has allowed for valuable, collaborative work in genomics. Our shared findings from the GIRAFF project will be applied to Aurora’s leading growing practices today and in the future, supporting a more sustainable industry.”

This is not the first cannabis breeding program involving UBC and Aurora, which operates its Coast cannabis breeding facility on Vancouver Island, which hosts the Occo research centre. In 2020, more than $4.2 million in federal, provincial, and industry funding was announced to aid with UBC research into enhanced cannabis cultivars, focusing on disease resistance.

The project, Fast-Track Breeding of Powdery Mildew-Resistant Cannabis, involved UBC researchers Dr. Loren Rieseberg and Dr. Todesco in partnership with Aurora Cannabis.

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