Every year, Cuba is affected by diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegyptis mosquito, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya

Havana, 24 July (RHC) A group of Cuban scientists met Tuesday in the central-eastern province of Camagüey to discuss perspectives in the fight against diseases such as dengue fever.

In statements to Prensa Latina, Gerardo Guillén, director of biomedical research at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Havana, which maintains a constant collaboration with its counterpart in Camagüey, said that "we have projects that are at an advanced stage and aimed to address the main causes of mortality, the main health problems in the country.

In addition, he assured that "at this moment, Heberprot-P (for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers) is a leading product of the institution, after the Abdala vaccine (against Covid-19), which has had an important relevance not only in the control of the epidemic in Cuba, but has also been exported to several countries, being also an innovative product with patents".

Regarding diseases in tropical areas, particularly in Cuba, he explained that "today, for example, the vaccine we have prioritized among our projects is the one against dengue. We are working intensively on a new vaccine that is different from others.

Commenting on the commercialization prospects, he said, "Currently, there is only one dengue vaccine on the market and it has its limitations. Our strategy avoids these limitations that other vaccine strategies in the world have", argued the researcher.

Talking about the current status of the drug process, Guillén informed that "at this moment we have completed clinical studies that confirm the proof of concept and the strategy we had outlined, aimed at boosting the cellular response.

We hope to have this vaccine in clinical trials in our country within a year," said Guillén. Every year, Cuba is affected by diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegyptis mosquito, such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, so the scientific contribution to the treatment of these diseases is crucial for the country and the region, in addition to the economic and commercial aspect of the result of the medical product.

The work of institutions such as the CIGB has resulted in a resounding success in the fight against Covid-19, in addition to the acquisition of international patents and the reputation of Cuban science in the biomedical field worldwide (Source: Prensa Latina)