Transcription of the interview with Dr.C. Julio Raul on the Cuban TV News Program Buenos Días
Conductor: Specifically, in the CIGB, what products (aimed at cancer therapy) stand out?
Dr.C. Julio Raúl: The Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) also develops cancer research. It is good to remember that the CIGB originated from interferon research. At the beginning, it was thought that it would be a solution for cancer treatment. Research on interferon began in 1981. First it was obtained from blood, and later it was obtained from biotechnological processes in bacteria and yeast. As a result of this research, interferon not only has anti-proliferative properties in the treatment of cancer, but also has antiviral properties and was used during the dengue epidemic. Subsequently, development and work has continued with these molecules, trying to optimize the forms of treatment in which they can be applied.
Based on discussions and ideas -it was almost a visionary proposal by Fidel-, who said that interferons had to be combined, because they are a family of proteins; interferon alpha was combined with interferon gamma, and the drug Heberferon was created, a product registered in Cuba since 2016 for the treatment of skin cancers. It is a very effective treatment, it decreases the probability that a patient who has had this type of tumors will suffer it again.
In addition, it is a kind treatment, because it is generally for tumors in regions near the eye, nose or ears that, if this treatment did not exist, would require amputation or surgical intervention, which aesthetically leaves patients disfigured. This is the product that we have, at present, registered for the treatment of cancer. In addition, there are other products that are used as treatments for the recovery of patients, which are not antitumor, but are aimed at maintaining or sustaining chemotherapeutic treatments that, as is known, cause undesirable adverse effects in patients. The rest of the products are in the research phase.
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Conductor: There is a lot of hopeful news that continually reaches us to find the paths that lead us to a cure. What are the strategies outlined in Cuban research centers specifically to continue studying products and therapies that help to fight this painful disease or to improve the quality of life of people suffering from it?
Dr.C. Julio Raúl: At the moment, at the CIGB we have four projects in which sufficient results have been achieved and which are in the clinical study phases. Two of them are vaccines and two products are small peptides, which are directed towards different targets that can eliminate or interfere with the proliferation mechanism of these tumors. These products are well developed. They all have intellectual property and, in order to move forward, we need a lot of collaboration, because they are expensive projects that take many years to develop.
Efficacy in vaccines is demonstrated very quickly, as happened with the vaccine against COVID-19; but for cancer treatment it must be demonstrated, at least, that the products we are developing have an impact on the survival of patients. Demonstrating patient survival requires 3 to 5 years to be able to at least demonstrate that the treatments obtained are equal or superior to products that are already available on the market.
We have two products that are currently in clinical studies, in phases 2 and 3. These studies should form the basis for applying for their registration in Cuba, initially. They are also in research or we will start research abroad.
In cancer, we are limited by the number of patients. Demonstrating the efficacy of a product requires the inclusion of a high number of patients, and sometimes in Cuba we do not have a sufficient number of patients for certain tumor locations to demonstrate those benefits.
We are working on intensifying scientific collaboration with other countries with the aim of achieving results as soon as possible, and benefiting the entire Cuban population with these new products.
Source: New drugs to be created in Cuba against cancer. Interview with Dr.C. Julio Raul on the Cuban TV News Program Buenos Días. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1hHoEmqi-8.
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