Pink Pepper, a visually arresting cannabis variety with rich magenta tones, is turning heads for more than its aesthetic. In early 2025, scientists at Colorado State University Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research (ICR), in collaboration with Kangwon National University in South Korea, unveiled a nearly gapless genomic map of the cultivar—now the most complete Cannabis sativa genome on record.
Clocking in at 99.6% completeness with over 30,000 annotated protein-coding genes, the Pink Pepper genome has become the new reference standard, officially recognized by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. It replaces the patchy and inconsistent assemblies that have held cannabis research back for years.
According to researchers at Kangwon National University, the Pink Pepper genome “serves as a valuable resource for advancing genetic research on hemp,” providing “more precise fundamental information for not only cannabis breeding but also studies on the biological characteristics” of the plant.
A Clean Blueprint at Last
Cannabis genome sequencing has had a long history of false starts. The first widely recognized map, published in 2011 from the Purple Kush strain, left large gaps and unresolved scaffolds. Others followed, but none provided the level of resolution needed to support large-scale breeding or pharmaceutical development.
The team behind Pink Pepper solved this by integrating three advanced sequencing methods: PacBio SMRT for structural depth, Oxford Nanopore for long reads, and Illumina for high-accuracy polishing. The final product consists of just 17 chromosomal scaffolds, a sharp contrast to the thousands found in earlier assemblies.
“Such assemblies create confusion for data users in distinguishing between real genome differences and assembly errors,” noted the Kangwon team in their study. “Our assembly demonstrated the highest complete BUSCO scores among the reported cannabis genomes.”
This is undoubtedly a huge win for computational biology, offering a foundational tool for applied science. High-continuity genomic maps allow researchers to track gene expression with unprecedented accuracy, enabling studies on how cannabis interacts with environmental stressors, pathogens, and nutrients. With this level of resolution, it’s possible to anticipate how different growing conditions might influence cannabinoid production.
Data With Direction
Pink Pepper is a Type III cannabis cultivar bred for high CBD and minimal THC. The breeding process, which drew on genetics from 26 hemp varieties, was designed for therapeutic consistency. Its bold color—ranging from hot pink to deep plum—was an unexpected byproduct.
The genome includes detailed annotations of the genes responsible for synthesizing cannabinoids like CBD and THC, as well as terpene pathways that influence aroma and therapeutic effects. Kangwon researchers note that the assembly allows “understanding the cannabinoid and terpene biosynthesis mechanisms in cannabis [that] could ultimately contribute to the development and application of medical cannabis.”
For those interested in the plant’s pharmacological value, this data could be transformative. Identifying key regulatory genes for CBDA synthase and THCA synthase lays the groundwork for biotechnological interventions—whether that’s enhancing therapeutic potency, reducing unwanted compounds, or even developing new formulations altogether.
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