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BY JOAQUIN ORAMAS
THE creation of a self-financing system of culture mediums substituting the majority of these product's imports, is one of the most important achievements of the National Bio-Preparation Center (BioCen) in Bejucal, now celebrating 10 years of existence as an essential industrial support for the successful development of biotechnology in Cuba, linked to the Genetic Engineering and Technology Center (CIGB), and other scientific institutions.
Culture mediums are used extensively in microbiological processes, fermentation and other applications in the Public Health system, the food industry and environmental control. The center's production plant is currently gaining increased efficiency and has begun generating exports.
The scientific institution's sales director, Dr. Claudio Rodríguez, discussed advances and prospects in this area during a meeting of representatives from various institutions that have acquired BioCen products in the past.
During the meeting, clients were introduced to new methods, as well as the speed with which test results in identifying bacteria and microorganisms are obtained.
Similarly, they were informed of studies, trials, registrations and patents of the institution's products.
The Bio-Preparation Center is the result of biotechnology research, which gained recognition in Cuba in the 1980's. Many scientific institutions emerged during those years and new products were made in the budding biopharmaceutical industry, including the anti-hepatitis B recombinant vaccine, currently Cuba's leading biotech product.
This is the result of research and development by the CIGB and the work of hundreds of specialists and scientists: an example of the scientific sector's integration.
The first group of the anti-hepatitis B vaccine left BioCen's filling, lyophilization and packaging plant on August 14, 1992; to date, over $100 million USD worth of doses have been issued. The entire Cuban population under the age of 20 has been vaccinated against Hepatitis B with the subsequent result that the number of cases in the under 5's was reduced to zero (compared to 1991 when 70 children had the disease).
The first exports of this BioCen vaccine took place in December 1992, when 1.125 million doses were sent to Colombia. Ten years later, tens of millions more doses have reached different countries.
After a rigorous process, in December of 2001 the World Health Organization (WHO) registered the anti-hepatitis B recombinant vaccine - developed jointly by the CIGB, BioCen and the Animal Laboratory Production Center. This important result represents the recognition of the vaccine's quality as well as safeness of production and handling when it reaches users and distributors. The certification also means that it can be employed in UNICEF campaigns.
Until now, the WHO has only registered six producers of this type of vaccine worldwide: one from Belgium, world market leader; another from the United States; three from South Korea and finally, the Cuban vaccine.
Other products under development include different types of interferon, epidermis growth factor, transfer factors, streptokinase and recombinant vaccines against ticks and blood derivatives.
INCREASED PRODUCTION OF ANTI-ANEMIC AND CULTURE METHODS
The biopharmaceutical industry's development rhythm, and that of biotechnology in general, has opened up new prospects in the design for culture mediums and components which are introducing new concepts relating to the product's quality requirements.
BioCen has become the country's only scientific production center for culture mediums used in clinical and veterinary testing, laboratory trails in the pharmaceutical and food industry, water analysis, identifying microorganisms and other uses. In the past five years, the Center has produced over 58 tons of culture mediums and nutrition bases for national consumption plus exports to 15 countries.
Over 100 culture mediums can be obtained from mainly using national supplies, including Trofin, a natural tonic with positive results in combating anemia. Work is now underway to produce Trofin in tablet and flavored powder form.
RESEARCH RESULTS
Research processes and development at BioCen are aimed at solving health and other problems. Throughout a decade of operations, the institution has developed technologies for nutrition bases (peptones, extracts and hydrolyzers), substituting imports and maintaining production of culture mediums; work that has yielded 11 patents.
Achieving some 70 conventional culture medium substitutes imports and provides analytic support for Cuba's hospital network and centers for hygiene, veterinary control, quality control laboratories for food, water plus many added applications.
New research has placed BioCen at the forefront of culture mediums with new recovery and identification processes and microorganism counts, all of which surpass conventional rapidity and facilitate the preparation and reading of results. Similarly, findings destined for chemotherapy treatment against cancer and hemodialysis offer favorable prospects.
For the first time in Cuba, development of culture medium on an industrial level aimed at the micro propagation of plants of economic interest such as sugarcane, potatoes, bananas and pineapples are encouraging and of great use in research and in the bio-factories. This is the basis for creating a modern industry of cultural medium and its ingredients unique to Cuba.
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