Dr. Pritesh Kumar

Dr. Pritesh Kumar earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology, with a focus in cannabinoid (cannabis) pharmacology, from the University of Louisville. Dr. Kumar is a pharmacologist trained in ensuring QA/QC, cGMP, cGPP, cGLP of pharmaceutical products and APIs. Previously, at the University of Louisville, Dr. Kumar conducted pharmacological testing of FDA- approved drugs as potential ligands for the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) and investigated the pharmacology of cannabinoids. Dr. Kumar is currently the Scientific Advisor for Addis Ababa University, School of Pharmacy (SoP) in Ethiopia. In this role, Dr. Kumar facilitates advancements in graduate student education, promotes the interest of the SoP, and develops relationships between the SoP and the private sector.

Dr. Kumar is the CEO of PhytoSciences, an international organization comprised of 40+ scientists based in India, Canada, Africa, Latin America, and the USA. The company consults in the areas clinical trial solutions, novel drug delivery technology development, industrial scale manufacturing, analytical testing, and commercial bioprocessing.

Dr. Kumar is the primary investigator of the largest harm-reduction cohort study across Canada investigating medical cannabis as a potential substitute for opioids for chronic pain patients (http://opiatestudy.ca/).

Dr. Kumar is the founder and currently the Laboratory Director of KYDS LLC (Kentucky Distillation Services), an R & D company which offers process development services associated with separation / purification, refining process chemistry, contract formulation, and optimization pertaining to the purification of unrefined/crude industrial hemp extracts (i.e. oil) via a proprietary platform for Licensed Producers.

Dr. Kumar previously served as a Scientific Advisor to Revive Therapeutics, a Canadian Pharmaceutical company, advancing R & D of novel plant-based research initiatives, with an initial focus on cannabinoids and the liver. Dr. Kumar oversees, on behalf of the Company, public-private partnerships with academic institutions and commercialization / licensing of drug- delivery technologies.

In addition, Dr. Kumar previously served as Chief Scientific Officer for PharmaCielo Ltd., a Canadian company with operations in Colombia, South America. He was previously the Chair of PharmaCielo’s Research Advisory Board.

He has received numerous honors and awards including Best Oral Presentation from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) Conference in Vancouver and fellowships from Drug Discovery and Target in Boston and Integrated Programs in Biomedical Sciences (IPIBS) as well as travel awards from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Louisville School of Medicine for his presentations in the U.S., Canada, Italy, and Germany.

Dr. Kumar has been published in numerous scientific journals including the European Journal of Pharmacology, Pharmacology and Physiology, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science and Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.