Increasing food production and quantity per area - while caring for the environment and using environmentally friendly products - is a scientific challenge. Agricultural biotechnology plays an essential role in that purpose, since it allows, through the use of living organisms (bioproducts) to develop inputs, vaccines and drugs, among other.
As explained to Granma newspapers by Doctor of Science Mario Pablo Estrada García, director of Agricultural Research at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), where much of this research is carried out, it is essential to use agricultural biotechnology focused on food production; and at the same time, given the increase in the appearance of emerging diseases, it is necessary to work for one single health, that is, one that offers the same attention to humans, animals, plants and the environment.
Since the 1980s, Cuba has been committed to the development of biotechnology, becoming one of the pioneers in this field, with advances internationally recognized by United Nations organizations and by the most prestigious science magazines worldwide.
The concept of our agricultural biotechnology is to obtain products that achieve greater health and food for the country; and, in addition, that are innovative, so that they can be exported, which would generate income to continue their development," said Estrada García.
VETERINARY VACCINES
"All the agricultural biotechnology that we do has a great importance in the sustainability of food production. In that sense, we have developed veterinary vaccines since CIGB began, with the concept of reducing the use of chemicals, antibiotics and protecting livestock," he said.
One example is the Gavac vaccine for the control of the bovine tick, which reduces the use of chemicals by up to 80%, since this ectoparasite is basically controlled with the use of chemicals that make it increasingly resistant and also contaminate water, milk, the environment and meat, he said.
Today, this vaccine is exported to several Latin American countries, with registration granted in Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. There is a request for registration in other nations of the continent. "In Cuba it is also used and has been shown, for years, to improve the conditions of cattle and reduce the transmission of hemoparasites (for example, babesia bovis)," said the director.
Estrada García clarified that in this line of research the CIGB is working on new vaccines that can be used not only in cattle. "We have developed a new vaccine that has a patent granted in practically all countries, capable of protecting against different types of ticks; we are already conducting trials in horses and dogs," he said.
In addition, Porvac was developed against the classical swine fever virus, which is the main health threat to pigs in Cuba.
The specialist indicated that since 2017, swines has been vaccinated with this immunogen, although there is not yet the capacity to immunize all pigs in Cuba. To that end, the country's leadership approved an investment that is currently being executed, so it is expected that from the middle of next year vaccines can be produced for the entire swine population.
This vaccine is in the final phase of obtaining the sanitary registration in Vietnam, and there is a request for at least half a million doses to start exporting in the second half of this year, he added.
A vaccine for rabbits is also being worked on today. The mass of rabbits in Cuba has grown significantly in recent years as a municipal option for meat production; however, since last year we have been affected by a terrible virus that is considered the rabbit Ebola, he explained.
Given this situation, the CIGB of Camagüey is finishing the development of a vaccine, Cunvac, which should start clinical trials this summer. "We think that this drug will be at least in the final phase of registration by the end of the year, and with a special permit to start vaccinating rabbits," the executive said.
The CIGB developed a vaccine against the ectoparasites that attack salmon. Even if there are no salmon in Cuba, several international companies requested its creation, based on the center’s experience.
This unique immunogen has a worldwide patent. The CIGB currently has an agreement with a major French company, and is carrying out trials for its registration in developed countries such as Norway and Canada, while trials are expected to begin in Chile, which is one of the countries that produces the most salmon in the world, he added.
BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO AGRICULTURE
Agricultural biotechnology also focuses on the genetic improvement of the main crops, especially those that are a source of imports for the country. "For example, in recent years, according to ONEI data, Cuba imported more than 500 million dollars annually between soybeans and corn, which are the basis of food for monogastric animals (poultry, pigs, fish, shrimp); however, since the international crisis, the pandemic and geopolitical conflicts, the price of these grains soared, so it is necessary to produce them in our country," said Estrada García.
To this end, the CIGB has developed genetically improved seeds, both for corn and soybeans, which significantly increase productivity in the fields. "Corn increases productivity six, eight and ten times more, because we developed transgenic hybrid corn technology. It has a potential of almost ten tons per hectare, when the average in Cuba in the last 20 years was half a ton per hectare," the executive specified.
Likewise, conditions have been created to develop a new company capable of supplying this high quality biotechnological seed for the whole country, he added.
"These two transgenic soybean and corn seeds have shown a productivity comparable to that of the countries that best produce them in Latin America in the field, so the island is working on creating the value chain and establishing it little by little," he said.
The Director of Agricultural Research of the CIGB stated that there are two lines of research in the work with sugarcane: the first seeks to improve a variety that for years was of very high productivity per hectare (Jaronú 60-5), which is currently not used because of its sensitivity to fungi, so they are working to make it more resistant to charcoal disease.
Secondly, the CIGB is working on the development by biotechnology of industrial enzymes to increase the value associated with sugar. "For example, we have an industrial enzyme that transforms sucrose into a fruit-oligosaccharide, that is, a low-calorie sugar (it is considered fiber), so it is not fattening, but maintains a high percentage of sweetening capacity," he explained.
This sugar, which improves the intestinal flora, is not a source of energy for parasites, is beneficial for health and is considered a functional food, added the expert.
Estrada García commented that they are currently working with the Grupo Empresarial Azcuba to produce it for domestic use and for export.
Other enzymes are being studied, such as dextranase, which is used to improve the sucrose sugar production process and quality, and other industrial enzymes for the production of fructose-rich liquors.
CIGB also researches options to combat citrus tristeza disease and, in turn, carries out other projects for the development of new molecules aimed at protecting plants, increasing their productivity and making them resistant to abiotic affectations such as drought and salinity.
Translated by ESTI
