Professors Neil Garg, Ken Houk and Yi Tang have received a $2 million research grant from the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to advance the study of cannabinoid-based therapeutics.
The two-year award, titled “Cannabinoid Therapeutics: Synthesis, Binding, Safety, and Computations,” supports an interdisciplinary effort to develop new and rare cannabinoids, evaluate their biological activity and safety, and better understand how these compounds interact with cannabinoid receptors in the human body.
Building on a previous DCC-funded research period that resulted in two peer-reviewed publications, the team will combine chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, computational modeling, and pharmacological evaluation to generate new insights into cannabinoid structure and function. The researchers aim to identify key molecular features that lead to desirable therapeutic properties while minimizing potential side effects.
The project focuses on how cannabinoids bind to the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which play central roles in pain, inflammation, neurological function, and other physiological processes. Findings from the study may help guide the discovery and design of safer, more effective cannabinoid-based medicines.
The award is part of the DCC’s third round of competitive academic research funding, announced in December 2025, which distributed nearly $30 million to support 22 projects across nine institutions statewide. The Cannabis Academic Research Grant program is funded through cannabis tax revenues established under Proposition 64, which legalized adult-use cannabis in California.
All research supported by the program will be made publicly available to promote broad access to evidence-based, peer-reviewed science and to inform public understanding and future policymaking related to cannabis.
UCLA has received four grants totaling $7.3 million from the DCC to support research across a broad range of topics, including the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids, the cardiovascular risks of cannabis use, and strategies for addressing California’s unregulated cannabis market. Read more here.
Professor Neil Garg holds the Distinguished Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry & Biochemistry; Professor Ken Houk is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry; and Professor Yi Tang currently holds joint appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and is the Parsons Family Foundation Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
