In it Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (Ibyme)the launch of the technology-based company took place this afternoon Galtec, whose mission is the development of new strategies based on the interaction between galectins (proteins) and glycans (polysaccharides) for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cancer.
With a climate of defense of public research, the inauguration brought together the Minister of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation (Mincyt), Daniel Filmus; to the president of the Conicet, Ana Franchi; the head of the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Promotion, Fernando Peirano and the former Minister of Science between 2007 and 2018, Lino Barañao, along with dozens of researchers.
The development dates back to the PhD thesis work of rabinovich -in 1993- at the National University of Córdoba (UNC) in which he identified and purified a psugar binding protein (Gal-1) that had the particularity of silencing activated T lymphocytes, cells of the immune system responsible for attacking pathogens and tumor cells, indicated the Mincyt.
“In this scenario, I would like to emphasize that without the path traveled around the basic knowledge and without the effort of 30 years in the exploration of fundamental mechanisms, we could never have reached the moment of inaugurating a technology-based company around those discoveries” Rabinovich said visibly moved during the inauguration of the company, of which he is the leader and scientific advisor.
cancer treatment
The initiative has among its main objectives to develop therapeutic products that can modulate the activity of the Gal-1 Protein, by increasing or blocking its expression (“turning it on” or “turning it off”), with the aim of manipulating the functioning of the immune system against different diseases.
“The mission of Galtec is to translate discoveries associated with the interaction between galectins and sugars in technologies and biopharmaceutical products that improve the health of patients with cancer, autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases”, explained the biochemist.
This will allow “increase the number of patients who benefit from immunotherapy so that they live much longer and better”he pointed out.
To Rabinovich, who entered the Conicet Scientific and Technological Researcher Career at the beginning of 2002, he likes to associate the protein galectin-1 with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the character from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel.
According to him, this protein “sometimes plays the role of villain, when it helps tumors to evade the response of the immune system, and other times that of heroin, by preventing the appearance of autoimmune diseases.”
Scientific development
Thus, one of the technologies proposed by the Galtec research group is a neutralizing antibody that blocks galectin-1 and increases the antitumor immune response.
“This antibody is capable of reducing the number of blood vessels, restricting the supply of oxygen and nutrients to tumor cells. That is, we attack the tumor in two different ways with a single therapeutic tool,” he explained.
Due to the characteristics of each tumor, in the first stage of this development the researchers chose the treatment of colorectal cancer and multiple sclerosis, and indicated that they will later advance with other types of cancer.
At the end of your presentation, Rabinovich claimed the importance of the public university and scientific organizations:”I want to express, today more than ever, with all my strength, that all this path traveled, all these discoveries would not have been possible without the Conicet and without the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation”.
“As he clearly said Bernardo Houssay, our prize Nobel and founder of this institute: ‘Rich countries are rich because they dedicate money to scientific and technological development, and poor countries continue to be so if they don’t. Science is not expensive, ignorance is expensive,'” he concluded.
Science as state policy
For his part, Minister Filmus referred to Galtec developments and pointed out that “this is a long process of many years, which confirms why science has to be a State policy”.
In this sense, he highlighted the presence of the ex-minister Baranao, with whom “we can have differences, but this week all of us who defend science have to put our shoulders to it”.
“For a long time, those of us who researched at the Conicet were horrified when the word company was mentioned,” said Filmus, adding that “today it seems that it is possible if we continue to put science at the service of people, we produce knowledge and use it to the society”.
The minister, who pointed out the need for “technology-based companies to have a destiny in Argentina”, maintained that “we must leave the pendulum policies and forge a common destiny”.
To its turn, Franchi pointed out that “As president of Conicet, it is a pride to live this moment. We do science together, from the researchers to the teachers’ staff.”
“Science has no homeland, but researchers do, as he said Houssay, then the decision of Gabriel (Rabinovich) to continue betting on doing science in Argentina fills us with pride, especially these days”, he concluded.
Finally, Peirano He maintained that “in a context in which we want to say yes to Argentine science, what better way to do it by exposing what is possible with the energy of this project that shows what our science can do”.
Source: Ambito
