Designed to address common problems faced by the industry such as poor taste, smell and low bioavailability, DehydraTECH™ presents a healthy solution without the use of unhealthy delivery methods (such as inhalation) or additives (such as artificial sweeteners or genetic modifications).

What is DehydraTECH™?

Lexaria Bioscience Corporation has developed and patented a new drug delivery platform, changing how the oral ingestion of APIs enter into the body. The technology, called DehydraTECH™, is an innovation designed to increase the bioavailability of cannabinoids which could assist recreational cannabis users, medical marijuana patients, and physicians. Due to this new technology, consumers can enjoy an improvement in taste as well as the enhanced onset of effects due to the increased bioavailability.

How Does it Work?

Designed to capture all active ingredients into a type of lipid membrane, the method avoids the processing and metabolism of the liver. Instead, the active ingredients, having bypassed the liver metabolizing process, pass directly into the bloodstream for efficient and rapid absorption.

The DehydraTECH™ formulation is an advancement in the cannabis industry addressing the need for improved bio-absorption, taste and, most critical, efficacy.

After ingestion, the transport system works in two separate areas:

1. Hepatic Transport – Metabolism occurring within the liver is necessary for the biotransformation of active compounds before entering the bloodstream. In other words, certain compounds require liver enzymes to be effective in the human body. Specially designed for these compounds and pharmaceuticals, Lexaria’s DehydraTECH™ utilizes medium chain fatty acids. The portal vein absorbs and delivers them to the liver for processing before they enter the general circulation. This will be used in the instance where certain pharmaceuticals require the liver’s metabolism processing before becoming active compounds.
2. Lymphatic Transport – In this instance, a faster onset of action is generally required with active compounds which do not require liver metabolism. Long chain fatty acids are used and absorbed by the lymphatic lacteals causing the substances to bypass the liver and to enter directly into the general circulation. This increased speed of delivery will be optimal for those requiring rapid pain relief, or fast relief from other severe symptoms or conditions.

Furthermore, the technology is designed to combine with both long-chain fatty acids as well as medium chain fatty acids, assisting in the formulation of products which have both a rapid and a sustained release. This delayed release could be beneficial to offer immediate and on-going relief, usually for several hours.

How is it an Improvement on Current Delivery System Technology?

The DehydraTECH™ patented delivery technology is both efficient and cost-effective. The technology has undergone lab and market testing to prove its worth and holds the following benefits over current, more traditional, oral ingestion methods:

• Improved taste and odor – the formulation is designed to eliminate both the taste as well as the smell of lipophilic compounds and does not use any artificial flavorings or sweeteners.
• Increased rate of action – researchers observed the effects from between 15-20 minutes and 60-120 minutes. This new technology aims to quicken the reaction time without consumers having to resort to inhalation methods for quick results.
• Allowing increased bio-absorption as well as bioavailability – the rate of bio-absorption allows 3 to 10 times the standard absorption rates, which matches or surpasses the bio-absorption rate of inhalation methods.
• Avoids First-Pass Liver metabolism – early tests have shown, DehydraTECH™ could use the lymphatic system to enter into the general circulation, thereby bypassing the liver enzymes, removing the potential for adverse side effects and reducing liver biotransformation.

Research

Researchers confirmed the effects in a recent second-generation set of lab studies involving rodents. Results indicate nicotine delivery rate increased up to 195 percent. The delivery rate reached a peak level approximately four times the average rate. 

Presently, the delivery system formulation has the potential to be successfully used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other nervous system diseases. More research will be funneled into this approach.

Furthermore, DehydraTECH™ technology has been studied both in vitro and in vivo cases. Both sets of studies yielded results indicating an increased intestinal bio-absorption. After just 15 minutes of administration, the observed increase was five to ten times higher.

What Does DehydraTECH™ bring to the Commercial Cannabis Industry?

Lexaria plans to provide existing businesses licenses to use the advanced DehydraTECH™ technology. The DehydraTECH™ technology from Lexaria can be used to improve current products. Businesses already offering, or planning to offer, cannabis foods, beverages, and other ingestible products can utilize this technology to enhance bioavailability. The majority of the current base ingredients of many processed food products are compatible with DehydraTECH™.

Because the technology only requires micro amounts of lipid ingredient, the technology is cost-effective. Furthermore, once businesses have obtained the correct licenses to use DehydraTECH™, it can be added to everyday food, beverage or even capsules to enhance products and improve the overall quality of cannabis products and cannabinoid medications.