Researching the chemistry of cannabis

Jindar Sboto found his educational path at VIU during his first-year courses.

Jindar attended VIU because it was close to home. He didn’t choose his area of study right away but was always interested in the sciences – biology, chemistry and physics.

“I found chemistry the most interesting out of my introductory courses. My second year cemented that choice. Chemistry is a fantastic science, and the professors here go above and beyond for their students in terms of help outside of class and the effort that they put into their classes,” says Jindar. “Courses such as Practical Spectroscopy, Environmental Chemical Analysis, and the Organic Chemistry II laboratory were vital for building my interest in chemistry. My experience with the Chemistry department has been fantastic, filled with great learning and amazing people and professors.”

Jindar, now a VIU alum, worked on his original research project as an undergraduate student under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Gill, a VIU Chemistry Professor and Co-Director of VIU’s Applied Environmental Research Laboratories. He received a 2023-24 VIU REACH Award of $3,000 to support his research project.

His research focused on measuring cannabinoids, a type of chemical found in marijuana products such as THC and CBD. Jindar in collaboration with Dr. Chris Gill at the the University of Victoria, aims to use this method for testing the effects of cannabinoids on fetal development in a mouse model. The current techniques to measure cannabinoids are expensive and time-consuming, which greatly limits the research that can be accomplished.

“If we want to measure 100 samples, this quickly turns into a multiple-day ordeal, which is undesirable and slows down research on this important topic. I wanted to make a rapid and economical way of measuring cannabinoids in biofluids,” he explains.

Jindar used paper spray mass spectrometry, which can take under a minute to measure a sample. He aimed to improve the inexpensive and rapid technique for measuring cannabinoids.  

He started working with Drs. Chris Gill and Igor Pereira da Silva in 2023 on a project to develop paper spray mass spectrometry methods to diagnose chronic kidney disease. While working on that project he learned about a potential collaboration with the University of Victoria to measure cannabinoids in mouse plasma for a study on their effects on fetal development. The methods developed from this project can be economical, rapid and sensitive for measuring chemicals and can be applied to various classes of substances. 

“What struck me about paper spray was just how fast and easy the technique was to use; before this, I was using techniques that required 30 minutes of preparation and another 30 minutes for measurement,” says Jindar. “I was so impressed by this speed and ease of use that I took this project on to further the research surrounding paper spray mass spectrometry, a technique which I believe has wide applications in the environment and medicine.”

Jindar hopes to pursue a career in medicine, as he acknowledges that the field currently has a shortage of practitioners and the practice requires extensive amounts of testing. However, he believes paper spray mass spectrometry has the potential to alleviate some of the strain as shown by the success of drug-checking programs in Victoria.

“The incredible potential for innovation and efficiency of paper spray mass spectrometry has captivated me,” says Jindar.