Cuba cutting `world class' trail in biotech research
Chicago Tribune | Cuba cutting `world class' trail in biotech research


Cuba cutting `world class' trail in biotech research
Well-funded government labs enable Castro's cash-starved nation to produce high-quality vaccines and medications for a global market

By Gary Marx
Tribune foreign correspondent
Published December 18, 2005


HAVANA -- On the outskirts of Havana sits a cluster of drab buildings that are part of an effort to propel Cuba to the forefront of biotechnology even as its population struggles with blackouts, shortages and crumbling infrastructure.

Known as the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, or CIGB, the institute is one of 52 government facilities dedicated to human, animal and agricultural research that have recorded a string of successes.

Using more than $1 billion in state funding, Cuban scientists have produced a hepatitis B vaccine sold in more than 30 countries and streptokinase, a potent enzyme that dissolves blood clots and improves the survival rate of heart attack victims. The country also makes recombinant interferon that strengthens the immune system of cancer patients, and a meningitis B vaccine.


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