University of Kentucky Research Foundation, ValidCare Partner to Research Hemp

ValidCare, a market intelligence and consumer research platform for the hemp industry, and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation (UKRF) have entered into a services agreement to advance the research of hemp-derived products. The agreement will give hemp-derived product companies access to the broad resources of each organization to conduct clinical and/or observational research related to hemp-derived products and their effects on humans and animals.

With the recent passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp was federally declassified from Schedule 1 drug status and awaits new regulatory classification by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Earlier this year, the FDA petitioned the industry to provide safety and efficacy data to the agency so that it may appropriately regulate products containing the increasingly popular ingredient cannabidiol, also known as CBD.

ValidCare Research Solutions is answering that call, providing hemp-derived product companies with end-to-end research program management and the ability to automate research protocols, education and data collection via its HIPAA compliant app-based research platform.

“Reputable companies are eager to conduct research and better understand the effects of hemp-derived products and their cannabinoid components, like CBD, CBG and CBN, on humans and animals,” said ValidCare CEO Patrick McCarthy, “ValidCare is well-positioned to help, and we can’t think of a better research partner than the University of Kentucky Research Foundation.”

“Kentucky is arguably the epicenter of the resurgence of the hemp industry,” said University of Kentucky Vice President for Research Lisa Cassis. “The university is engaged in hemp research and has been instrumental in FDA-approved studies involving cannabis-based drugs. We have the experience and resources to support ValidCare in conducting data-driven studies to validate hemp-based products’ effects on humans and animals.”

Under the new agreement, ValidCare’s clients will receive access to world-class research resources, including Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, principal investigators, study design, laboratory access, data analysis and publication. From the colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environment to Medicine and Pharmacy, and from data sciences to population health and equine research, ValidCare will have access to an array of highly specialized resources in order to design, execute and accelerate meaningful research on hemp-derived products.