A vaccine for lung cancer could be on the horizon for Americans after the United States government agreed to bring a drug developed in Cuba stateside.

Officials from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute finalized a deal with the Center for Molecular Immunology in Cuba to produce a lung cancer vaccine called Cimavax and to have it ready for clinical testing in the U.S.

The meeting between the two medical research groups was made during New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's trip to the Caribbean country last month.

According to Candace Johnson, Roswell Park's CEO, Cimavax offered much promise as a vaccine because it has low toxicity levels. It is also not an expensive drug to produce and store compared to most other vaccines.

"The chance to evaluate a vaccine like this is a very exciting prospect," she said.

Johnson added that they hope to get the lung cancer vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration within the next six to eight months so that they could begin testing within a year.

The Center for Molecular Immunology will transfer all related documentation on Cimavax to Roswell Park including how the vaccine is produced, its toxicity data and the results gathered from previous clinical testing.

While Cimavax is not designed to attack cancer tumors directly, the drug affects the protein these tumors produce and circulate in the body. It stimulates the creation of antibodies that will target a hormone called epidermal growth factor. If left unchecked, this hormone can cause the formation of cancer.

Despite suffering from the 55-year trade embargo sanctioned by the United States government, Cuba is known to have made significant achievements in the fields of medical research and biotechnology.

The Cuban government only allots a fraction of its budget on state healthcare programs compared to the U.S., but the life expectancy of Cubans is on the same level as that of average Americans.

Johnson explained that this is because the Cubans make do of what sources they have available.

"They've had to do more with less, so they've had to be even more innovative with how they approach things," Johnson. "For over 40 years, they have had a preeminent immunology community."

Biologist Thomas Rothstein of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research has witnessed the Cubans' aptitude for innovation when it comes to medical research. He had worked with the Center for Molecular Immunology for six years in order to develop another lung cancer vaccine called Racotumomab.

"Investigators from around the world are trying to crack the nut of cancer," Rothstein said. "The Cubans are thinking in ways that are novel and clever."

Photo: Sam Sherratt | Flickr