Dr. Wesley Raup-Konsavage has over 20 years of research experience in molecular biology. His research is focused on the medicinal properties of cannabis and individual cannabinoid compounds (Δ9-tetrahdyrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), & cannabigerol (CBG)). Currently his lab has two primary focuses:

1. The ability of cannabis/cannabinoids to reduce cancer cell growth.
2. The ability of cannabis/cannabinoids to stimulate epithelial cell growth and the impact of cannabinoid exposure on cell differentiation.

Recently, his laboratory has identified 5-epi CP 55,940, from a screening of over 400 synthetic cannabinoids, as being effective for the reducing growth in colorectal cancer cells. Additionally, his laboratory has shown that CBD is able to reduce colorectal cancer cell growth, and that pure CBD is more efficacious than CBD in botanical extracts. The current work in this area is to identify the mechanism by which cannabinoids are acting to reduce cancer cell growth and to pursue variations of these molecules for improved activity.

The second area of research is focused on exploring the benefits of cannabis/cannabinoids for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Previously, he has demonstrated that lithium, which stimulates intestinal epithelial cell growth, also reduced IBD symptoms in a murine model. His current work in this area is examining cannabinoids as potential gastrointestinal therapeutics. The long-term goal is to move successfully identified compounds into an animal model of IBD.

As the scientific director for the Pennsylvania-approved Medical Marijuana Academic Clinical Research Center (ACRC) at Penn State, Dr. Raup-Konsavage works in close collaboration with a number of researchers and clinicians to evaluate the medical efficacy for cannabis across a wide spectrum of diseases and disorders, such as pain, anxiety, and PTSD.