Dr Vicente Vérez Bencomo is a world-renowned scientist who led the team that discovered and developed the Cuban Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine using a synthetic antigen – the first of its kind in the world. Educated in Cuba, Russia, and France, Dr Vérez has received numerous awards for his groundbreaking work, including the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Gold Medal (2005), and the Cuban National Chemistry Award (2006). The Cuban Hib vaccine is undergoing evaluation by the World Health Organization for vaccination packages for use in the developing world.

Dr Vérez has published widely in international scientific journals of impact and is the Cuban representative to the International Carbohydrates Organization and Senior Member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. He is currently Director of the Center for the Study of Synthetic Antigens, under the aegis of the University of Havana’s Chemistry Department.

He sat down with MEDICC Review to talk about the global burden of Haemophilus influenzae type b, what motivates him as a scientist, how synthetic antigens might be applied to other vaccines, and what he is currently working on.

Pharmacist, biochemist, and lead scientist of the Cuban team that developed the meningitis B vaccine, Concepción Campa has been internationally recognized for her scientific contributions to children’s health; this vaccine, patented as VA-MENGOC-BC®, was awarded the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Gold Medal in 1989.

Currently, Campa is President and General Director of the Finlay Institute, the Cuban scientific center dedicated to research, development, production, and marketing of vaccines for human use. Among many other distinctions, Concepción Campa is: Senior Member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences; World Health Organization Temporary Consultant & Scientific Advisor; Pan American Health Organization Temporary Advisor; Member of the Scientific Council of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health; and Member of the Cuban Expert Committee on Vaccines. She received an honorary PhD from the University of Havana in 1996.

Dr Campa sat down with MEDICC Review to discuss Cuba’s vaccine research approach, development of the meningitis B vaccine, what it’s like to lead an internationally-renowned scientific institution, and more.