Cuba and Russia Sign Agreements in Biotechnology

With the signing of new agreements, Cuba and Russia increased on Monday in this capital the level of cooperation in the field of biotechnology, asserted Alexander Chernov, vice-president of the Skolkovo Foundation, created and financed by the government of that European country.

Representing Cuba, Eulogio Pimentel, director general of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), of the business group BioCubaFarma, signed the four memorandums of understanding, and representatives of an equal number of companies of that foundation did the same for Russia.

The signing of the agreements on projects in the field of oncology and bio-computing took place at the headquarters of CIGB, and "starting from now an arduous process to turn these memorandums into contracts that allow us to make rapid progress in development and marketing, begins," said Pimentel.

We see Russia as a country among the priorities of the intention of our products and this is another step, said the director of the CIGB at the meeting, which was attended by Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, scientific advisor to the Council of State.

When asked by ACN, Pimentel explained that the institution already has products registered in Russia and is conducting clinical trials and pilot studies in different regions of that nation, but that although it has a strong presence much more needs to be done, he stressed.

All these are CIGB projects, while other entities of Biocubafarma are also present in Russia, such as the Center for Molecular Immunology and Neuroscience, he said.

Chernov announced that it is estimated that in September the first Cuban students go to the University of Skolkovo, as part of the scientific exchanges.