CEO of New York Cancer Center praises Cuban scientists

Havana, March 3(RHC)-- Candace Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York praised  Cuba´s scientific community and its capacity to develop innovative medications, notwithstanding the difficult material circumstances in which it has to conduct its research.

In a segment of CNN´s global affair interview program conducted by Christiane Amanpour, focusing on the Caribbean island´s quest for COVID-19 vaccines, Johnson praised the capacity of the island´s immunologists.

The Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is currently conducting clinical trials of the Cimavax lung cancer vaccine, developed by the Havana-based Center of Molecular Immunology.

Cimavax is the only active vaccine in the world with which patients are immunized with epidermal growth factor (EGF), thus raising antibodies targeting EGF itself, thus denying cancers the growth stimulus they require.

Candace Johnson described it as a very promising preventive drug against lung cancer.

The CEO of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center recalled that her center began exchanges with Cuban scientists during the Obama administration.

“Cubans scientist has been forced to think outside the box because of the situation.

In our collaboration, we focus on developing these drugs to help Americans. And potentially, we have things here in this country that could really benefit the Cuban people that they don’t have access to. We are hopeful that through this collaboration we can be there for each other,” Candace Johnson said.