Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Roswell Park Cancer Institute has signed a deal with a Cuban cancer center to develop a new lung cancer vaccine.
Though hospital officials back in Buffalo were unable to confirm the deal, Reuters is reporting Roswell Park CEO Candace Johnson signed an agreement Tuesday with Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) to develop a lung cancer vaccine with a clinical trial in the United States.
Johnson was Havana this week with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on a two-day trade mission.
The news was also tweeted out just after 2 p.m. today by a reporter with Capital New York, who traveled with the group to Cuba and tweeted the news just before the return flight left Havana.
Johnson is quoted in a story on Capital New York's website saying the deal was made possible only because of the trade mission.
Johnson, who assumed the top post at the hospital this winter, was among four Buffalo business professionals who traveled with the governor on the mission.
More details on the cancer vaccine deal are expected to be divulged in the coming days.
With 133 beds, Roswell Park Cancer Institute is among just 41 comprehensive cancer centers across the country as designated by the National Cancer Institute. The hospital, which receives $102 million annually from New York state, operates on a budget of $633 million.
According to its website, the Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) is a Cuban biotechnological institution devoted focused on research and product development for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases related to the immune system.
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