Cannabis and Cannabinoids

Peter obtained his B.Sc. (Hon) from Flinders University and Ph.D. from the Research School of Chemistry, ANU, working under the guidance of Professor A. L. J. Beckwith. After post-doctoral work at Columbia University (NYC) and the University of Cambridge, he took up academic positions, first at James Cook University, then at Monash University. In 2004, he ‘stepped across the road’ to CSIRO Clayton, where he is currently Senior Principal Research Scientist and Leader of the Bioorganic Chemistry Team. Peter is also Adjunct Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University. Over the last decade, Peter has become increasingly involved in commercial research with botanical extracts and has established CSIRO’s Botanical Extracts Laboratory. In this secure facility, research work with local companies is undertaken, involving the analysis, processing, and formulation of plant extracts, including those derived from medicinal cannabis.

Michael obtained his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from UNSW, followed by positions at ANSTO, the CEA-Service Hospitalier Frédéric Joliot Life Sciences group in France, and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes in Baltimore, USA. In 1996, he was awarded a Fogerty Fellowship based at the NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) USA. He then moved back to Sydney to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital as a Principal Hospital Scientist. In 2006, he took up a position at the University of Sydney in which he is currently Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Academic Director of the Drug Discovery Initiative. Michael leads extensive discovery programs focused on various bioactive molecules relevant to brain disease. In addition, his use of positron emission tomography (PET) also allows not only the rational design of more effective treatments but the ability to evaluate drug efficacy and monitor disease progression in humans.