KGK Science Partners with Zentrela to Test Ontario Government-Funded Cannabis Impairment Device
KGK Science has been contracted by the Hamilton, Ontario-based neurotech firm, Zentrela Inc. to conduct a phase II clinical trial to prove the accuracy of their cannabis impairment test, the Cognalyzer™. Previously tested in a feasibility study supported by the Ontario Government, the Cognalyzer™ demonstrated an overall accuracy rate of 85% in cannabis impairment detection. Zentrela presented the results of this study to the Ontario Center of Excellence (OCE), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and a contracted external panel of experts in technology, neuroscience, innovation and entrepreneurship, resulting in $1 Million dollars in funding for phase II testing to further confirm the accuracy of the device’s algorithm for detecting impairment.
“We’re excited to partner with Zentrela on this trial,” says Najla Guthrie, President and CEO of KGK Science. “The EEG technology used in the Cognlayzer™ shows significant potential for changing the way that cannabis impairment is detected. The team at KGK is proud to provide our expertise to a project that has far-reaching implications for the safe consumption of cannabis.”
Neuro entrepreneur and founder of Zentrela, Israel Gasperin says that the goal of their work with the Cognalyzer™ is to provide complementary objective evidence of actual cannabis impairment that allows employers and law enforcers to improve safety in workplaces and on the roads while minimizing the risk of an incorrect accusation due to THC residual detection instead of active THC detection.
“We need to re-think and innovate the way cannabis use is regulated. In this new era of legalized cannabis, it does not make sense to penalize an employee or driver due to THC use detection without making sure that he/she is impaired.”
Gasperin shares, “Employers are taking “radical” actions and dealing with the consequences of keeping workplaces safe, which is the right thing to do. However, the commercialization of our technology will allow them to upgrade their drug testing policies to improve safety in the workplace while avoiding costs that might not be necessary if an employee is not actually impaired while at work.”
The phase II clinical trial being conducted at KGK Science in London, Ontario is an observational study that will test the Cognalyzer™ on 150 participants. Subjects will be males and females, between 19 and 55 years of age, all of whom report consumption of THC-dominant strains between three times per month and three times per week. A waitlist of potential participants is currently open for this study, with testing to begin in late February to early March.
Contact: Lauren Redman, Director of Marketing | (519) 438-9374 x 254 | lredman@kgkscience.com
About KGK Science Inc.
KGK Science is a premium contract research organization (CRO) offering high-quality clinical research trials and expert regulatory support for the nutraceutical, cannabis and hemp industries. For over 22 years, KGK has successfully helped hundreds of companies with custom-designed clinical trials and claim substantiation strategies that move products efficiently into global markets. Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, novel research techniques, and a seasoned team of industry experts, KGK Science remains at the forefront of its industry, consolidating scientific, clinical, commercial, and regulatory expertise with innovation and agility to serve the expanding needs of global business and consumers.