News from CRIS: Update from the CRIS Director

September 17, 2020

I write to you today, hoping this finds you safe, in good health, and having found creative ways to enjoy your summer. I wanted to update you on our latest efforts and invite you to our newly formatted Annual Meeting and Science Symposium.

As I mentioned in our last update, we temporarily suspend research related to cannabidiol (CBD), a priority area this year. Thankfully, we were able to resume research activities in mid-July and have made strong progress on our two CBD research projects. We anticipate having outcomes ready for peer-review by the end of 2020 concerning one of these projects and the summer of 2021 on the second.

We've also made significant progress on the comprehensive CBD-focused white paper that addresses the ingredient's safety, legality, and toxicological data gaps. We're excited to submit this white paper in the coming months for peer-review and believe it will help clarify some ongoing questions around CBD-containing consumer products as well as provide researchers with clear focus areas that
need further investigation.

Speaking of CBD, we regret that the current climate doesn't permit in-person meetings, but we are thrilled to have found a virtual solution to continue our annual meeting and science day tradition. This year, we've transformed our single science day into a two-partial day, virtual, CBD-focused Science Symposium that is open not only to CRIS partners but also to the public.

We're taking a multi-faceted approach and will be hearing from CBD researchers, legal professionals, and industry experts. You can learn more about our speakers and their talks below. Please, don't forget to register for the event.

Prior to kicking off our Science Symposium (November 11 and 12), we will host a virtual annual business meeting (November 10) for our CRIS partners.

In addition to our ongoing research and development of our annual meeting and Science Symposium program, we've submitted a formal letter to the journal, Environmental Science & Technology, in response to a recent article regarding microplastics detected in fish. We're looking forward to continued dialogue on microplastics.

During this time, we remain flexible, creative, and committed to fulfilling our research, education, and communication agenda in new, innovative ways. While our Annual Meeting and transformed Science Symposium look different this year, we are excited about this virtual format and look forward to the conversations.

Thank you for being part of the CRIS team. You and your continued support make our research and outreach possible.

Be well,  

Norb Kaminski, Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Director, Center for Research on Ingredient Safety
Director, Institute for Integrative Toxicology
Michigan State University

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Read the original blog post at: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/update-from-the-cris-director-1.