Cuba's Innovative Biotechnology Attracts Global Attention

[Judi Lynn]

Cuba's Innovative Biotechnology Attracts Global Attention

The entrepreneur fair in Havana marks the first for dozens of U.S. businesses.

Published 3 November 2015

Cuba achieved food security without destroying its environment, and the rest of the world has taken notice.


Cuba is presenting several of its original biotechnologies at an international business fair this week, drawing further attention to a sector of the Cuban economy that’s been generating substantial interest abroad.

The Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology presented various biotechnological innovations at the fair: all eco-friendly and biodegrable alternatives to conventional technologies, which could help the transition toward a more sustainable model of agriculture.

Among them was, “Gavac,” an immunogen that provides for better control over ticks and tick-related infections in cattle, according to Doctor Hector Machado of Cuba’s Heber Biotec company.

Gavac's formula reduces the use of chemical insecticides, noted Machado, while diminishing the risk of diseases being transmitted by ticks, improving an animal’s natural capacity to respond to an infection without increasing their resistance to treatment.

More:
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Cubas-Innovative-Biotechnology-Attracting-Global-Attention-20151103-0018.html

[drm604]

1. But that can't be.

How could they develop effective medications without a profit motive? (That's sarcasm, for those who didn't realize.)