The Company has been coordinating for several months on its participation in this study with senior administrators. The study will test subjects under the influence of marijuana alongside several conventional drug screening methods (blood, oral fluid etc.), in conjunction with the use of Cannabix’s proprietary breath capture and marijuana detection equipment. Further, details of the study will be available in due course when disclosure approvals are granted to the Company.

This kind of study underway in southern United States will provide an important launch point for Cannabix devices in terms of a law enforcement and toxicology audience. Cannabix is using its marijuana breathalyzer technology to detect ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) – the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes impairment, in breath. Breath testing for THC would allow law enforcement to quickly and practically identify recent marijuana use that aligns with the timing window of impairment, unlike other technologies such as saliva or urine.

In recent live breath testing of marijuana smokers, the Cannabix FAIMS bench device has demonstrated the sensitivity, resolution and discrete responses needed to isolate ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (TH”) – the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes impairment as well as other key marijuana metabolites (such as 11-hydroxy THC) and other cannabinoids from the thousands of other compounds present in breath. This kind of selectivity is significant because it provides far more pharmacokinetic information than detection of THC alone, and can allow for greater discernment of a subject’s recency of cannabis use.  This has been achieved with a testing set up requiring only a few breaths which is collected and analyzed on-site within seconds, without any sample preparation needed. Development of the Cannabix FAIMS drug screen device is aimed primarily for the law enforcement market.

Furthermore, over recent months engineers have focussed on systematically reducing the size of the FAIMS electronics and components, and developing a fully battery powered system, further paving the way for a portable device. Engineers are building a novel system that meets the power and heat dissipation requirements in the field for a complex high voltage square wave generator. Critical achievements in relation to power supply, air flow, cooling, electronics and detector module are well underway and showing promising early results.

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The THCBA is a drug screening device for employers and other markets who are seeking a way to quickly (in less than 5 minutes), easily and non-invasively test for recent use of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes impairment. The THCBA consists of a handheld device and protective case which houses a sterilization module, sample preparation stage, device recovery station, and integrated battery charging system. Over the course of 2020 to the present, the company has been relentlessly focused on building the THCBA from bench prototypes to the current hand-held portable version 3.0 system. Over recent months, this proof-of-concept system has been introduced into small-scale beta-testing sites. The focus of the beta-testing has been to gather information on the user and administrator experience, identifying cross-reactivity of other substances within a semi-controlled study population, and further collect data and train the device’s machine learning database and sensitivity profile. Furthermore, feedback has been provided in areas of handling, connectivity, operating procedures, and data management.

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This Track 1 patent application is centered on innovations made by Cannabix with its FAIMS (field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry) based marijuana breathalyzer technology. This patent application is the culmination of research and development work conducted by Cannabix scientists and engineers in the areas of ion mobility spectrometry, non-volatile molecule sampling and fluid dynamics. These developments will provide utility in several areas related to the detection of molecules in breath.  

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THCBA testing is ongoing and is focused on training the device’s machine learning database, determining sensitivity ranges and improving user and administrator experience. The THCBA has been built to provide easy-to-understand screen prompts for the positive and negative detection of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes impairment in breath, and can be administered with limited training. The system provides results in under five minutes.

UF startup Cannabix Technologies Inc., developer of the Cannabix Marijuana Breathalyzer devices for law enforcement and the workplace, reports that it has received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for its 2015 licensed patent application, No. 14/689434 entitled, “Cannabis Drug Detection Device”.

The company and its patent attorneys have been vigorously pursuing this original patent application since its filing in the spring of 2015. It should be noted that a notice of allowance from the USPTO does not constitute a grant of patent. Cannabix Technologies will report on future material developments regarding its “Cannabis Drug Detection Device” patent application in due course.

Cannabix Technologies is on the forefront in research and development to create point-of-care breath testing technologies for the detection of ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”) – the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes impairment.

The Company also reports the design of a significantly more compact FAIMS circuit board, paving the way for a smaller device footprint relative to previous versions, enhancing portability. Cannabix is using its FAIMS technology to isolate and detect ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a non-volatile compound, in breath. The Cannabix FAIMS marijuana breathalyzer device uses ion mobility filtering techniques (related to mass spectrometry – the gold standard analytical technique for molecular detection). Cannabix Technologies is on the forefront in research and development to create point-of-care breath testing technologies for the detection of THC – the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes impairment.

University of Florida chemistry professor and inventor Richard Yost is working with Cannabix Technologies, a Canada-based, UF startup with operations in Vancouver and Gainesville, on a breath test based on inventions and research from Yost’s group at UF. Cannabix’s head analytical chemist is Jared Boock, who earned his doctorate while with Yost’s group. Cannabix is working on two devices, one handheld for police in the field, and a second, laboratory-sized device that would determine if results were accurate.