• Submitted by: Luis Manuel Mazorra
• Science and Technology
• 03 / 04 / 2012

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From 5 to 8 March will be held in Havana biotechnology scientific event which will present the latest advances in science applied to Cuban branch of medical science.
To develop in the Convention Palace, Havana 2012 Biotechnology has the assistance of some 600 specialists from 38 nations said in a press conference Gerardo Guillen, vice president of the organizing committee.

Among them are Peter Agre, a professor at Johns Hopkins, United States, who delivered at the opening of a lecture on the subject for which he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2003 (aquaporins).

During the meeting, organized by the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Havana, said Guillen, reported on progress in the evaluation of a Cuban therapeutic vaccine against hepatitis B (Nasvac), exclusive product that is a first global, then in the world there is nothing similar to that disease.

Nasvac, nasal application, is in the last phase (III) clinical trials (in humans) in Cuba and Bangladesh, explained the expert.

That vaccine, he said, has shown in phase III much higher sustained response to 5-times-any other product used in the treatment of hepatitis B.

Also in the meeting will review progress of clinical evaluations of other Cuban vaccine, also therapeutic against hepatitis C.

Simultaneously, according to Guillen, will be announced research and clinical trials relating to various therapeutic vaccines, made with synthetic peptides against various cancers.

In Biotechnology 2012 will also present the results of preclinical studies of a vaccine candidate against Hiv / Aids, which this year began Phase I clinical trials.

The main categories for discussion at the meeting are OMICS: Proteomics, Pharmacogenomics and Bioinformatics directed toward the search for new drugs, Neurodegeneration, Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Diseases and Autoimmune Diseases and Inflammation.

Satellite Symposia will also be conducted on Dengue Vaccine, Glycomics and HIV vaccines and therapies.