D\u00edaz-Canel strengthens cooperation with China and aims to expand biotechnology exports<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cFounded 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\u2019s Centennial, we honor his legacy.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCuba needs you. It needs your intelligence, your dedication, and your commitment,\u201d President Diaz Canel said addressing the CIGB members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor 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,\u201d journalist Orfilio Pelaez recalled in an article published by Granma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEquipped 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After returning to their homeland, they succeeded in producing the first Cuban interferon from white blood cells, laying the foundation for the country\u2019s modern biotechnology industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1982, Cuba inaugurated the Center for Biological Research, which later became the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in 1986.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter becoming a thriving scientific and production complex, the CIGB was granted \u2018High-Technology Enterprise\u2019 status in 2020. It has 1,370 employees\u2026 Fifty-six percent of them hold university degrees. Sixty-one percent have scientific and technological credentials, including 83 Doctors of Science, 233 master\u2019s degree holders, 46 senior researchers and 104 Level I technologists,\u201d Pelaez noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe CIGB\u2019s patent portfolio includes more than 65 inventions, with more than 700 patent applications and patents in Cuba and abroad\u2026 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,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Story Full of Successes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCIGB 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe greatest challenge for CIGB workers is to continue creating innovative, high-value-added products and successfully introduce them into the international market,\u201d Ayala said, referring to the intensification of the U.S. blockade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a summary of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology\u2019s principal achievements over the past four decades, Granma highlighted the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Heberprot-P, for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and complex wounds, is the flagship product of Cuban biotechnology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Recombinant human alpha interferon, including Heberon Alfa R and Nasalferon nasal spray, has been used against COVID-19 to enhance mucosal immunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Abdala, a vaccine effective against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants with a high level of protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Gavac vaccine, the only vaccine on the international market for controlling cattle ticks, registered in 10 Latin American countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Porvac vaccine, against the classical swine fever virus, the principal threat to pigs in Cuba, with high efficacy and a worldwide patent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
* Development of genetically modified soybeans and corn with higher yields, greater resistance to pests and diseases, and improved adaptation to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source: Granma \u2013 X<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSource: teleSUR English<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Wednesday, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel congratulated the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) on its 40th anniversary and scientific achievements. RELATED: Díaz-Canel strengthens cooperation with China and aims… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[8],"class_list":["post-11945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"authors":[{"term_id":8,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"yolaunicaquehay","display_name":"RRebeldeAdminWP","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6145d63ff95c9a0f0e53b7149804b1faf86748d6cc15f466103269a288ea377?s=96&d=mm&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english","last_name":"Radio Rebelde","first_name":"WebMaster","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11947,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions\/11947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11945"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.radiorebelde.cu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=11945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}