On Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel congratulated the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) on its 40th anniversary and scientific achievements.
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“Founded by Commander Fidel Castro, the CIGB is a beacon of technological sovereignty and innovation. Its vaccines and biopharmaceuticals save lives. In the Year of Fidel’s Centennial, we honor his legacy.” he said.
“Cuba needs you. It needs your intelligence, your dedication, and your commitment,” President Diaz Canel said addressing the CIGB members.
On July 1, 1986, Fidel Castro inaugurated the CIGB, bringing to fruition a project that had been conceived and developed amid the severe restrictions caused by the U.S. blockade in place since the 1960s.
“For a country under blockade and with limited resources, the inauguration was an extraordinary event: venturing into that promising discipline was a privilege almost exclusively reserved for highly developed nations,” journalist Orfilio Pelaez recalled in an article published by Granma.
“Equipped with the most advanced technology and a revolutionary integrated working model that linked research, production and commercialization, the project was financed entirely by the revolutionary government,” he added.
Among the milestones leading to the creation of the CIGB were trips by Cuban researchers to scientific facilities in other countries to study the applications of interferon, a substance with potential antiviral and antitumor effects.
In 1981, six young Cuban scientists traveled to Finland to learn interferon production: Manuel Limonta, Angel Aguilera, Eduardo Penton, Victoria Ramirez, Silvio Barcelona, and Pedro Lopez.
After returning to their homeland, they succeeded in producing the first Cuban interferon from white blood cells, laying the foundation for the country’s modern biotechnology industry.
In 1982, Cuba inaugurated the Center for Biological Research, which later became the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in 1986.
“After becoming a thriving scientific and production complex, the CIGB was granted ‘High-Technology Enterprise’ status in 2020. It has 1,370 employees… Fifty-six percent of them hold university degrees. Sixty-one percent have scientific and technological credentials, including 83 Doctors of Science, 233 master’s degree holders, 46 senior researchers and 104 Level I technologists,” Pelaez noted.
“The CIGB’s patent portfolio includes more than 65 inventions, with more than 700 patent applications and patents in Cuba and abroad… Currently, 55% of its patents are in developed countries, 25.5% are in the BRICS countries and Argentina, South Korea and South Africa, and 20% are in other nations. More than 80% of its R&D projects are protected by patents, and 50% of its inventions are part of signed business agreements,” he added.
A Story Full of Successes
CIGB Director Marta Ayala told Granma that the center is working on 22 innovative projects related to the CIGB-300, an anticancer peptide; PCB, a small molecule derived from the alga Spirulina platensis for cerebral ischemia; Jusvinza, an immunomodulatory drug that regulates inflammation without causing immunosuppression; HeberSaVax, an active immunotherapy vaccine against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); and the development of a tetravalent dengue vaccine.
“The greatest challenge for CIGB workers is to continue creating innovative, high-value-added products and successfully introduce them into the international market,” Ayala said, referring to the intensification of the U.S. blockade.
In a summary of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology’s principal achievements over the past four decades, Granma highlighted the following:
* Heberprot-P, for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and complex wounds, is the flagship product of Cuban biotechnology.
* Heberbiovac-HB, a prophylactic vaccine against hepatitis B, immunizes the entire population under the age of 25, is administered at birth, and no pediatric cases have been reported.
* Recombinant human alpha interferon, including Heberon Alfa R and Nasalferon nasal spray, has been used against COVID-19 to enhance mucosal immunity.
* Abdala, a vaccine effective against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants with a high level of protection.
* Gavac vaccine, the only vaccine on the international market for controlling cattle ticks, registered in 10 Latin American countries.
* Porvac vaccine, against the classical swine fever virus, the principal threat to pigs in Cuba, with high efficacy and a worldwide patent.
* Development of genetically modified soybeans and corn with higher yields, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and improved adaptation to climate change.
Source: Granma – X
Source: teleSUR English
