Within the framework of the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Center for Isotopes (CENTIS), attachedto Cuba’s Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technologies Agency (AENTA), and the Bolivian Nuclear Energy Agency (ABEN), which will allow the development of biotechnological components that are not made in Latin America, Crespo stressed that having the achievements made by Cuba in that field, despite the United States blockade, is an honor, not only for her country but for the entire region.
“Cuba has developed research in nuclear medicine, training to do in practice the diagnoses and treatments to fight cancer and other diseases; joining that knowledge with our productive capacity to conceive radiopharmaceuticals, opens the doors to Bolivia and the world in health,” the diplomat stressed.
The agreement was penned on Monday by CENTIS Director René Leyva and ABEN General Director Hortensia Jiménez.
Jiménez told Prensa Latina that the agreement with CENTIS was based on a concept of scientific and technological complementarity, which also aims to bring Bolivian professionals closer to the knowledge generated by Cuba in terms of radiopharmacy, radioisotopes and the application of nuclear energy in health.
“Cuba is an example of struggle, of scientific sovereignty for all Latin Americans and for us it is very exciting to see how they advance, despite the obstacles, in pursuit of the well-being of the people; we find synergies with CENTIS to cooperate in radiopharmaceutical research, production and clinical and preclinical areas for theranostics.”
In nuclear medicine, theranostics refers to the use of specific molecules (peptides, agonists, antagonists, amino acids, analogues, etc.) that are marked with a specific radionuclide to diagnose and treat a disease.
Leyva, in turn, told Prensa Latina that with more than 30 years of experience in radiopharmaceuticals at the institution, this alliance will allow “uniting Cuban experience with innovative Bolivian production capacities in order to develop promising products in the fight against cancer.”
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