Sundial Growers sign with Plantbiosis

An Alberta medical marijuana growing business has partnered with a Lethbridge biology research firm.

Sundial Growers Inc., operator of a 31,000-square-foot production facility in Rocky View County near Calgary, has announced a “strategic partnership” with Plantbiosis Ltd. and named its founder, Igor Kovalchuk, to its management team.

A longtime member of the biological sciences department at the University of Lethbridge, Kovalchuk is considered an expert in plant biotechnology and genetic engineering — including plant transformations, tissue culture, “next generation” sequencing and molecular biology.

“Sundial is thrilled to be working with Dr. Kovalchuk and his world-class team of researchers at Plantbiosis,” says Ryan Hellard, chief marketing and product officer for the privately held Alberta company.

“This partnership will allow Sundial to develop innovative cannabis cultivars and fund research on the potential impacts of various strains.”

Kovalchuk holds eight patents in the areas of plant transformation and tissue culture.

“Having the opportunity to provide strategic input into a cannabis company is what scientists and researchers like myself get excited about,” he says.

“Partnerships such as this one between Sundial and Plantbiosis are important, and will ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of cannabis research.”

Company officials say Sundial expects to be one of the leading cannabis companies in Canada by 2020, with a projected production of more than 100 million grams of dry cannabis and the ability to process more than 32 million grams of cannabis extracts.

A Health Canada approved and licenced producer of medical marijuana, it has two additional production facilities in various stages of completion and licensing.