TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 08, 2017) - Beleave Inc. ( CSE : BE ) ( CSE : BE.CN ) ( CNSX : BE ) is pleased to announce that it will begin a collaborative research project with Dr. Lesley Campbell, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biology at Ryerson University, with the goal of developing new Cannabis sativa breeding tools for Beleave, Inc. This research project aims to expand existing work on Campbell's quantitative genetic models into new precision breeding efforts in Cannabis. These advanced genetic models have already identified novel genetic traits involved in the expression of cannabidiol (CBD). This project will further solidify the collaborative industrial-academic partnership between the Campbell lab and Beleave.

By combining proteomic and genetic tools, this new project aims to further identify and characterize the genetic traits in Cannabis that control the inheritance and production of cannabinoids including but not limited to CBD, which is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that has been shown to display tremendous potential for several clinical indications. Once models of cannabinoid inheritance have been fully characterized, this will allow Beleave to design breeding programs that make use of these newly identified molecular factors to more tightly control cannabinoid production. "This tool provides an exciting and unique way of generating product IP for plant strains developed and commercialized under the Beleave brand, which can be protected by patenting newly identified genetic and proteomic markers," commented Beleave CEO, Roger Ferreira.

Whereas Beleave's expertise in Cannabis growing will be employed to produce plants, the Campbell lab will assess and analyse the plant material, identifying plants with unique chemical signatures. "Allowing scientists and researchers to observe and participate in the development of essential technical skills and in the practice of discovering new intellectual property will be incredibly important for this emerging industry", remarked Dr. Campbell. A $72,000 Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) grant has been awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) will help cover research salaries and laboratory materials for the project.

About Beleave

Beleave, Inc. is a biotech company committed to becoming a licensed producer under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (the "ACMPR"). Beleave's wholly-owned subsidiary First Access Medical Inc. ("FAM") has applied for a license to cultivate and sell medical marihuana pursuant to the ACMPR. As of the date hereof, FAM has successfully advanced past the review stage, and has been issued an affirmation letter from Health Canada prior to a request for a pre-licensing inspection. Beleave's purpose-built facility is located near Hamilton, Ontario.

About Ryerson

Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 master's and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

About NSERC

NSERC invests over $1 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries -- valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships established by NSERC help inform R&D, solve scale-up challenges, and reduce the risks of developing high-potential technology.

NSERC also provides scholarships and hands-on training experience for more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows. These young researchers will be the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada.