Our research has made it possible to solve one of the major challenges of pain relief.

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Image source: Innovative Genomics Institute

Innovation


Our Solution: Pain Relief without Addiction Risk


Our patented gene editing, CRISPR techniques, enzymatic modifications and modern agronomy practices, allowed us to make one of the most significant breakthroughs in poppy cultivation and extraction to date. We are now able to produce completely plant-based, non-addictive, pain relief medication that will soon be available as an over-the-counter solution.

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OUR RESEARCH


WHAT WE OFFER

The Problem

The Problem

As per International Narcotics Control Board INCB 2021 press release “3/4 of world population has limited or no access to pain relief medication”. Major problem in many low-income countries where affordability is low.

Drug overdoses and drug-related deaths globally is an ever-worsening public health crisis. The growing pandemic of opiate addiction and limited access to alternative medicines are major contributing factors. The US CDC estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, an increase of 28.5 per cent over the year before. Most overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the global commercial source of medicinal opiates and related compounds.

Morphine, codeine, thebaine, and narcotine are the most important alkaloids produced by P. somniferum. Most of these compounds are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as analgesics and antispasmodics, and demand for the opiates has been rising (Schmeller and Wink, 1998; Tetenyi, 1997). The increasing worldwide legitimate demand for codeine has been met by increased production of alkaloids from P. somniferum, with the associated increased risk of its diversion into illicit channels for illicit use. The cultivation of P. bracteatum as an alternative opiate alkaloid source is a strategy to improve licit opiate supply.


Our Solution


An Alternative Source of Morphine


Consistent with predictions that synthetic drugs would replace natural narcotic drugs (Beyerman, 1976), the United Nation concluded that synthetic narcotic drugs had gained a significant share of the market in 1980. Therefore, greater attention has been given to finding a new natural source of morphinan alkaloids as an alternative to the opium poppy. This search focused attention on P. bracteatum which proved the most promising out of all the Papaver species.

Thebaine extracted from P. bracteatum can serve as an excellent substitute for morphine as a starting material for its chemical conversion into codeine by a process called demethylation (Mallinckrodt, 1974). The most widely used opiate codeine has been recognized as an effective pain reliever and cough suppressant. The chemical conversion of thebaine into heroin requires advanced chemical skill and equipment, thereby making such a procedure less likely to be used illicitly.

Codeine is also used as a mild drug prescribed for the relief of cancer and head trauma. Naloxone is used as an antagonist in the treatment of morphine and heroin addicts. Etorphine and other compounds derived from thebaine have much greater activity than morphine and are used in veterinary medicine for sedating wild animals.


Thebaine is an important source material for the production of anti-addiction drugs such as naloxone, buprenorphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone as well as codeine.

Codeine is also used as a mild analgesic prescribed for the relief of cancer, and head trauma. Naloxone is used as an antagonist in the treatment of morphine and heroin addicts. Etorphine and other compounds derived from thebaine have much greater activity than morphine and are used in veterinary medicine for sedating wild animals.

Cas9 Enzyme Architecture - Emerzene Therapeutics
Image source: Innovative Genomics Institute
Cas9 Enzyme Architecture - Emerzene Therapeutics
Image source: Innovative Genomics Institute

In 2020, the global production of opiate raw materials rich in thebaine amounted to 182 tons in thebaine equivalent, a 54 percent increase compared with the 119 tons produced in 2019.

The consolidated statistics on narcotic drugs for some countries in 2020 confirm that there has been an increase in the consumption, manufacturing, and stocks of (specifically fentanyl, midazolam, and its analogs), largely driven by significant increases in the need to provide pain relief and sedation for patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units.

Cas9 Enzyme Architecture - Emerzene Therapeutics
Image source: Innovative Genomics Institute

What Makes Emerzene Inc Medication Different?


Non-Addictive:

We have engineered a proprietary strain of poppy (Papaver Bracteatum L) to produce morphine-free opioids that do not get patients addicted.

Plant-Based:

Our all-natural medication contains high concentrations of thebaine for effective for pain relief – a true differentiator from other opioids that are high in morphine.

Pure:

We utilize a novel, water-based extraction process that does not require toxic solvents.

Affordable:

Highly efficient API extraction techniques cost less than traditional production and create a wide competitive margin.

Organic and Sustainable:

Complex fertilizer programs are designed to increase ecosystem biodiversity, restore soil health, improve water quality, and store carbon.

Renewable:

Our poppies are replaced through farming, seed preservation, and breeding, making them a reliable and readily available resource for ongoing drug manufacturing.

How We're Different


Our goal is to produce pain-relieving drugs that do not get patients addicted, and it all starts at the agricultural level


We use advanced plant breeding techniques, gene editing and patented agronomy practices to engineer our poppies to produce morphine free opioids that are only seen in clinical practice from synthetic routes. We have bred Papaver bracteatum L, a species that accumulates high concentrations of thebaine. This is a true differentiator from traditional opioid manufacturers who grow opium poppies high in morphine. Our Thebaine is non-addictive due to absence of morphine in our extraction pathway.


Cas9 Enzyme Architecture - Emerzene Therapeutics
Image source: Innovative Genomics Institute

Thebaine is an important source material for the production of anti-addiction drugs such as naloxone, buprenorphine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone as well as codeine.

Codeine is also used as a mild analgesic prescribed for the relief of cancer, and head trauma. Naloxone is used as an antagonist in the treatment of morphine and heroin addicts. Etorphine and other compounds derived from thebaine have much greater activity than morphine and are used in veterinary medicine for sedating wild animals.

In 2020, the global production of opiate raw materials rich in thebaine amounted to 182 tons in thebaine equivalent, a 54 percent increase compared with the 119 tons produced in 2019.

The consolidated statistics on narcotic drugs for some countries in 2020 confirm that there has been an increase in the consumption, manufacturing, and stocks of (specifically fentanyl, midazolam, and its analogs), largely driven by significant increases in the need to provide pain relief and sedation for patients with COVID-19 admitted to intensive care units.


Cas9 Enzyme Architecture - Emerzene Therapeutics
Image source: Innovative Genomics Institute
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We are actively looking to partner with pharmaceutical companies for our R&D trials to propel the next generation of medicinal advances.


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