INVESTMENTS
- Strategy
- Portfolio
- The Science
- Medical
- Scientific Literature
Strategy
ÓSKARE FUND I – Key Points
1 This pioneer investment fund (up to €150 M) will have a global scope but will be focusing its investments in European companies and teams developing disruptive solutions and technologies.
We will not be investing in growers or in anything related to recreational or “adult use” cannabis.
2 Unlike many other funds in this sector, ÓSKARE CAPITAL will prioritize development of medical, wellness and pharmaceutical products, developing new molecules and formulations combining cannabinoids with already approved pharmaceutical products for which there is strong scientific rationale to utilize cannabinoids.
3 We will invest in products and services generating solutions and tangible outcomes critical to the medical cannabis infrastructure in Europe. The fund will seek to invest in early stage companies but also look for more mature targets in order to balance risk and reward (from seed to series C).
4 The fund will focus on areas including:
- Emerging Technologies
- Derived Products and Circular Economy
- Enablers
- Digital Technologies and Services
The fund will have a diversified portfolio of companies that will cover the entire medical cannabis value chain: from actives to services.
ÓSKARE FUND I INVESTMENT AREAS
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
- We will invest in new and improved cannabinoids (natural and synthetic), methods of manufacture and formulation of cannabinoid products for the areas of animal and human health (pharmaceutical and medical products) and wellness.
DERIVED PRODUCTS – CIRCULAR ECONOMY
- We will invest in technologies that eliminate waste and the continual use of resources in the sector – from improvements in processing of hemp to its use in a sustainable manner.
ENABLERS
- We will invest in new technologies that support the production of cannabinoids-from novel agricultural technologies to technologies that reduce the resource intensity of production and improve processing and technologies and services that support the production of pharmaceutical products.
DIGITAL TECH AND SERVICES
- We will invest in supporting infrastructure for the cannabinoid industry-from data collection to software, quality control and monitoring.
CANNABINOIDS IN EUROPE: NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST
€2.8 billion
Estimated size of medical cannabis market in Europe by 2024 owing largely to the domination of Western Europe and German markets.
Over €15 billion
Estimated size of legal cannabis in Europe by 2029.
Portfolio
WE’RE ALREADY DELIVERING
WITH OUR FIRST INVESTMENT (2019) IN COPENHAGEN BASED OCTARINE BIO
OUR FIRST INVESTMENT: OCTARINE BIO
- Company Octarine
- Investment Area Emerging Markets, Derived Products and Circular Economy
- Location Copenhagen, Denmark
- Website: https://octarinebio.com/
ABOUT
Octarine harnesses synthetic biology to develop functionally superior cannabinoid and psilocybin derivatives.
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of people worldwide
Using our unique biosynthetic platform we engineer microorganisms to produce a range of natural and novel cannabinoid and psilocybin derived molecules with improved pharmacokinetic and therapeutic properties.
The Science
SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND
SATIVA
Tall plants, can be up to 5m, usually grown for fibre and seed. Usually Grown Outdoors.
It’s a fiber based variety have low concentration of cannabinoids.
INDICA
Short plants, generally 1-2m, usually grown for flowers containing THC and cannabinoids. Can be grown indoors.
It’s commonly known as marijuana, this variety is rich in cannabinoids. It has been used for medicinal and recreational purposes.
Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The plant contains more than 100 different chemicals called cannabinoids.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produces the “high” people feel when they smoke marijuana or eat foods containing it.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is the main chemical identified for therapeutic purposes.
Drug formulations can be of CBD, THC or combination of the two in different concentrations. Different plant specimens have different chemical profiles giving opportunities to create an array of target medicinal candidate products for investigation.
Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within food, or as an extract. Typically for medicinal formulations of CBD, the preparation is in an oil tincture or capsule and is taken orally.
THE ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM
Discovered in 1992, this system is found in all vertebrate species, it has been used as the body’s way to create homeostasis and adapt to environmental changes.
The principal endocannabinoid receptors are:
CB1: located in areas of the brain, especially those concerned with movement, coordination, pain and sensory perception, emotion, memory, cognition, autonomic and endocrine functions.
CB2: located in areas of the brain as well as the immune system, gastrointestinal system, spleen, thymus gland, tonsils, and pancreas.
There are three main elements involved in the endocannabinoid system:
Endocannabinoid receptors, Endocannabinoids and Enzymes.
RESEARCHERS ARE TARGETING
CANNABINOIDS BEYOND EPILEPSY, SPASTICITY AND PAIN
THE CANNABINOID MOLECULES
Cannabinoids can be produced naturally (extracting actives from cannabis plant) or synthetically (chemical synthesis or via synthetic biotechnology) and are even present in our own bodies (Endocannabinoids)
Medical
ÓSKARE IS FOCUSED ON TANGIBLE OUTCOMES
ÓSKARE CAPITAL will focus on investments aimed at creating outcomes and solutions to unmet needs and unrealized opportunities within healthcare and the medical cannabis sector.
We will look to invest in companies developing new molecules and combination products for specific medical conditions in human and animals, as well as the needed technologies and infrastructure related to realize the opportunities presented by cannabinoids.
COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL
- Improve Cognitive Function
in the Elderly and those
with Dementia - Improve Concentration for
those with ADD and other
Mental Health Issues - Reduce Anxiety
- Improve Cognitive
Function in those with
Down’s Syndrome
MEDICAL
- Cardiomyopathy and Congestive Heart Failure
- Uveitis and Inflammatory
Eye Disease - Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Lung Cancer
QUALITY OF LIFE
- Reduce Anxiety in Seniors
Living in Care Facilities - Improve Athletic
Performance and Recovery - Chronic Pain including
break-through pain (cancer) - Improve Low Sex Drive
Scientific Literature
LITERATURE CITATIONS:
- Freeman TP, Hindocha C, Green SB, Bloomfield MAP. Medicinal use of cannabinoid. BMJ. 2019; 365: l1141.
- Medical use of cannabinoid and cannabinoids. European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2018.
- The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: the current state of evidence and recommendations for research. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2017
- Fraguas-Sánchez, Torres-Suárez. Medical Use of Cannabinoids. Drugs. 2018 Nov;78(16):1665-1703.
- Hillen JB, Soulsby N, Alderman C, et al. Safety and effectiveness of cannabinoids for the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: a systematic review. Ther Adv Drug Saf.2019;10:1-23.
- Friedman D, French JA, Maccarrone M. Safety, efficacy, and mechanisms of action of cannabinoids in neurological disorders. Lancet Neurol. 2019 May;18(5):504-512.
- Das S, Kaul K, Mishra S et al. Cannabinoid Signaling in Cancer. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1162:51-6.
- Moreno E, Cavic M, Krivokuca A et al. The Endocannabinoid System as a Target in Cancer Diseases: Are We There Yet? Front Pharmacol. 2019; 10: 339.
- Schwarz R, Ramer R, Hinz B. Targeting the endocannabinoid system as a potential anticancer approach. Drug Metab Rev. 2018; 50(1):26-53.
- Hohmann T, Feese K, Greither T, et al. Synthetic Cannabinoids Influence the Invasion of Glioblastoma Cell Lines in a Cell- and Receptor-Dependent Manner. Cancers 2019; 11(2): 161-181.
- Rajesh M, Mukhopadhyay P, Batkai S et al. Cannabidiol Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction, Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, and Inflammatory and Cell Death Signaling Pathways in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. Am Coll Cardiol 2010; 56: 2115-2125.