Highmark Marketing Inc. announced that it has formed a new business division dedicated to the research and development of proprietary cannabis based products and solutions. Highmark has appointed Dmytro P. Yevtushenko, Ph.D., as Head of the division. The field of research and development of cannabis and cannabis related products is in its infancy and the company anticipates that the next few years will usher in a number of exciting new developments.

While the therapeutic benefits of the compounds contained in cannabis, such as cannabinoids, are only beginning to be understood, the potential global market for these products is large. Dr. Yevtushenko intends to develop several bioinformatics technology platforms with which to conduct in-house R&D. The focus of the R&D will be to define propagation strategies, advance the understanding and origination of derivative products, and create proprietary strains. To develop the platforms and conduct the R&D, Dr. Yevtushenko will leverage his extensive knowledge and experience in the field of bioinformatics including: functional genomics, comparative genomics, phylogenetic analysis, protein classification, database searching, sequence alignment, and gene finding.