Monoclonal Antibodies vs COVID-19: Eduardo Ojito-Magaz MS General Director, Molecular Immunology Center.

Cuba has five COVID-19 vaccines in clinical trials and is on track to receive emergency use authorization from the country's regulatory agency to begin mass vaccination with two of those candidates: Abdala and SOBERANA 02. Results from phase 1 and 2 trials of these vaccines, the first developed and produced in Latin America, have been encouraging, both in terms of safety and immunogenicity. The ongoing phase 3 trials will continue to look at safety, together with efficacy; parallel intervention studies involving over a million people in Havana will begin generating data on effectiveness. Coordination between Cuba's biotechnology sector and its public health system-particularly throughout the different levels of primary care-to control and treat COVID-19 is a cornerstone of the Cuban strategy and one that could serve as a blueprint for future pandemics. Another Cuban product, itolizumab, is showing positive results mitigating cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Developed in collaboration with Biocon (India), itolizumab is administered under an expanded access program to treat vulnerable populations in Cuba. Marshaling complementary capacities of dozens of institutions belonging to BioCubaFarma-the country's biotech conglomerate-and developing therapies, vaccines and medical technologies together, is another cornerstone of Cuba's strategy to combat COVID-19 and improve population health. The Molecular Immunology Center (CIM) is a key player in this strategy. Founded in 1992, CIM is a powerhouse in monoclonal antibody research and production, with 6 registered products and 22 in the pipeline. Known for several novel therapeutic cancer treatments, CIM has over two decades' experience producing complex recombinant proteins in mammalian cells on an industrial scale. Once Cuba's Innovation Committee (convened in January 2020 as part of the National COVID-19 Prevention & Control Plan) determined Cuban researchers would pursue protein subunit vaccine candidates, they turned to CIM to produce the required receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, among other responsibilities. CIM's General Director, Dr Eduardo Ojito-Magaz, is a chemical engineer and holds a master's degree in biotechnology. He spoke with MEDICC Review just days before 1.7 million Havana residents began participating in the country's largest intervention study with the COVID-19 vaccines his center helped make possible.

COVID-19 Case Detection: Cuba's Active Screening Approach.

Meningitis, neuropathy, HIV, dengue-since the 1960s, Cuba has faced its share of epidemics. More recently, Cuban health pro-fessionals tackled domestic outbreaks of H1N1 (2009) and Zika (2016), and worked alongside colleagues from around the world to stem Ebola in West Africa; all three were categorized by WHO as public health emergencies of international concern. In December 2019, China reported its fi rst cluster of pneumo-nia cases, later identifi ed as the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19. In January 2020, Cuban authorities convened a multi-sector working group coordinated by the Ministry of Pub-lic Health (MINSAP) and Civil Defense to tailor its national epi-demic control plan to confront the rapidly-spreading disease. The plan features a national reporting system and database, with standard protocols including early case detection, contact tracing and regularly-scheduled public health messaging. In late January, no fewer than six ministries, plus the National Sports and Recreation Institute, Customs, Immigration and national media outlets, came together to adapt domestic proto-cols and design multi-phase control and response mechanisms to combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Empowering Cuban Women: Marta Núñez MS PhD, Sociologist & Consulting Professor, University of Havana.

After nearly 60 years of universal education and health, coupled with national policies supporting women's rights and advancement, the results are in: according to recent data, more than half of Cuban scientists and almost 60% of all professionals in Cuba are women. Moreover, women's representation in government is rising, including at the highest levels such as parliament, where they constitute 53.2% of members. Digging deeper, we find a story richer than national statistics or political representation. It's the story of the collective achievements of female professionals on the island. For example, the clinical research team responsible for developing CIMAvax-EGF, Cuba's novel biotech therapy for non-small cell lung cancer, was headed by a woman. Likewise, the lead scientist of the Cuban team that developed the world's first effective meningitis B vaccine is a woman. And the cofounder of the country's clinical trials coordinating center and registry is a woman, as is the founder of the National Center for Agricultural Animal Health. Yet, as in any country, there is more to be done to achieve true gender parity and release the full potential of women. To begin our series profiling outstanding Cuban women professionals, MEDICC Review spoke with sociologist Dr Marta Núñez, who has devoted decades to research on gender relations and the role of women in Cuba. She provides an overview and framework for contextualizing the advancement of Cuban women-including the challenges still to overcome.

Taking to the streets: the terry fox run for cuban cancer research.

"Even if I don't finish, we need others to continue. It's got to keep going without me,"[1] said Terry Fox as he ran across Canada. Little did the young athlete know that nearly 30 years after uttering these determined words, the world would continue, unflaggingly, to run, walk, cycle, and skate to raise money for cancer research. Ultimately, Terry didn't finish, forced to abandon his "Marathon of Hope" when the cancer that took most of his right leg spread to his lungs. But the heroic amputee had already run a marathon a day-over 3,300 miles-and reached his goal of collecting a dollar for every Canadian to fight cancer. That initial CAD$24 million has ballooned to more than $400 million and keeps on growing thanks to the Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research. First held in 1991, the Run is the world's largest single-day cancer research fundraiser. And the single largest participant country in that event is Cuba.

Sight for Sore Eyes: Cuba's Vision Restoration Program.

If you're reading this, you're not one of the 121 million people worldwide[1] suffering from blindness or vision loss caused by cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and other reversible or preventable conditions causing visual impairment. Or perhaps you've benefited from vision restoration surgery. If so, you know how straightforward many of these procedures are when performed by trained specialists, using the latest technology and techniques.