Aberdeen University researchers have won more than Pounds 500,000 from the Medical Research Council for work on cannabis-related compounds.
The research, led by professor of neuropharmacology Roger Pertwee, will primarily investigate the recently discovered system of cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Clinical drugs that activate the receptors could be used to relieve multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and chronic pain. Professor Pertwee said the research should help reduce or eliminate the unwanted side-effects of such drugs.