Cuban Biotech Advances in a Range of Diverse Areas

Abstracts from June 15, 2004 Issue. Volume 24. Number 12.

Cuba , the Caribbean island famous for cigars, rum, and sugar cane, seems an unlikely place for biotechnology to take hold and flourish. Despite the U.S. trade embargo imposed in 1962, Cuban scientists make continual progress in vaccine development and have discovered novel cholesterol-lowering compounds, among other accomplishments, notes Sheldon Hendler, M.D., Ph.D., chairman, founder, and director of scientific and medical affairs at Vyrex (La Jolla, CA). Under a supervised government program, Cuba purchases some food products for cash from American companies, such as potatoes and eggs. In a twist on embargo tactics, Cuba recently stopped importing American eggs because of fears about contamination by avian influenza virus. Representing one of the egg companies affected, Dr. Hendler  visited Cuba recently to reassure them that the eggs are free of viral contamination. The U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the trip, which led to Cuba lifting its embargo on eggs.

Boris Acevedo Castro, MD , CIGB Business development group, Sheldon Hendler, MD, PhD., Chairman of Vyrex, and Luis Herrera Martinez, director general of CIGB, Dr. Hendler visited Cuba to address and embargo on U.S. eggs,

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