Alberta-based medical marijuana company, Atlas Biotechnologies Inc. and its subsidiary Atlas Growers Ltd., is partnering with Harvard University to research the effectiveness of medical marijuana, with a focus on pain and other neurological conditions.

The collaboration between Harvard and the private sector will serve as one of the pillars of the brand-new International Phytomedicines and Medical Cannabis Institute (IPI). The IPI will be based out of Harvard medical school, and is, according to Atlas, one of the largest global efforts in research on medical cannabis and phytomedicines (plant-based traditional medicinal practice).

Along with having opportunities to investigate the quality assurance of phytomedicines that they will supply themselves for pain and other neurological conditions, the company will serve as a guide to the school and supply it with medical cannabis.

“We look forward to building a long-term relationship with Harvard Medical School, with the aim of improving lives by discovering new properties of cannabis for targeted medical applications,” said Atlas President and CEO Sheldon Croome, in a statement.

The International Phytomedicines and Medical Cannabis Institute at Harvard Medical School, which was announced at the 2019 Global Health Catalyst summit, will be focused on developing “evidence-based phytomedicines for global health and economic development,” according to the Harvard University news release.

The research conducted will work to prove the effectiveness of medical cannabis with a parallel goal of strengthening its market appeal.

“The mission of the IPI is to leverage the best science, technology and education from Harvard and partner institutions to convert potential high impact medicinal plants to evidence-based pharmaceutical grade products for global health and economic development,” the release said.

This new partnership comes just after it was announced earlier this month that an early investor in the Canadian cannabis market had donated $9 million to be split between Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).