Interview to Ricardo Jara, president of Biotecyl
The fight against the cancer has evolved to big steps in the last years. Which technological advances in matter oncológica would stand out?
Is evident that there has been an enormous advance in the genetic knowledge, biochemist, molecular and cellular of the cancer, based in the utilisation of technologies such as the ultrasecuenciación, the arrays of DNA and RNA, the spectrometry of masses, the microscopy confocal and the citometria of flow between others. Fruit of this advance remain for the important history milestones like the secuenciación of the human genome, the scientific evidence of the existence of cells mother tumorales or the discovery of the more than 500 oncogenes that know , among others.
And regarding drugs?
From the punto of the drugs, Tratuzumab (Herceptin) for the cancer of breast and Imatinib (Glivec) for the leukaemia mieloide chronic (LMC) and tumors gastrointestinales (GIST), among others, have been in his revolutionary moment, for being treatments that have comported like ‘missiles teledirigidos' only in front of the cells tumorales, avoiding the toxic effects of the traditional treatments of chemotherapy.
In which point thinks that finds the investigation in this career against the cancer?
As it commented, the progress that has produced in the last years in the knowledge of the cancer and very especially in his molecular mechanisms has been very important. Arrived to this point, the investigation of the cancer finds in front of an important challenge traslacional. Has to speed up the step of the scientific discoveries llevar in the basic investigation to his clinical application. Sentences done as 'the personalised medicine' or 'the therapy to the letter', have to do reality, to avoid that they turn into clichés.
What alternative to the radiotherapy and chemotherapy investigate today?
In the last years has llevar a revolution in areas like the inmunoquimioterapia and the inmunoradioterapia, which has allowed to delete in a lot of types of cancer the derivative toxicity of this type of treatments. In this moment, the main challenge would consist in developing solutions that minimise the cost of this type of agents, guaranteeing the survival of a system of public health of quality.
Which thinks that is the relation and interactuación between company, technological centre and university in our country in matter oncológica?
The area of the oncología has been traditionally an important space of meeting and collaboration between the business sector and the public organisms of investigation and hospitals. However, and always of a general way, could say that it exists a good knowledge by part of the companies of in which areas and which advances in investigation oncológica llevar in the centres of investigation and universities. It is missing knowledge by part of the public organisms of investigation on the needs of the companies and are missing also incentives for the public professionals of the sector to the hour to approach to the companies.
Which is the degree of commitment of the administrations with the investigation against the cancer?
When the things go well from the economic punto, is easy to keep a commitment with something so transversal to all the society like the cancer. However, in moments of difficulty, is when it checks if the commitment was solid or no. I think that the strategy of cuts in investigation that is llevar is not the suitable way. It is important to do understand to the political managers the importance to keep the resources in investigation and treatments in oncología, especially in the ones of last generation.
They are sufficient the subsidies and helps that receive the professionals, centres of investigation and companies that devote to this menester?
The financials for investigation vehiculiza to través program highly competitive, where only the best projects are approved and funded, and in a lot of cases this financials is European or even North American. Ciñéndome To the question, I would say that they exist centres and groups of investigation in Spain that they are able to attract financials in international programs and does not have felt that in Spain, in spite of the economic stage, are suffering important cuts by a work that is endorsed by international organisms. With the companies, occurs something very alike, with the peculiarity that in Spain, besides there is a cerrojazo crediticio and the tools of financials for companies of technological base are still in a stadium very ‘naive', compared with countries like United Kingdom, Germany, France or EE UU.
And finally, it would not like to know his opinion about a question that does the scientific community and million people in the world: it will be able to cure the cancer in a future?
The concept cancer agglutinates at least a hundred of different illnesses, what hampers to facilitate any type of prognosis, without committing an error. Like this, of general way and from my modest punto, the big advances that have llevar in the last years have to allow us be optimistic.
On Biotecyl
What is Biotecyl?
Biotecyl Is an Innovative Business Grouping (AEI), what knows more familiarmente by clúster, that is tied to Castile and Leon like geographic space and whose focus of activity is the area of the oncología. The grouping compose it companies, the main universities of the region, centres of investigation and technology centres. The regional administration through the ADE plays an important paper like facilitador and dinamizador of the operation of the organisation.
With what half and equipments explains the clúster?
Biotecyl, like organisation does not have own equipments. However, through his members, in this case fundamentally universities and technology centres, has an extraordinary offer of technological services and equipments advanced, such as the service of Genomics and Proteómica that includes the Ultrasecuenciación, service of Citometría of Flow, the National Bank of DNA or the Unit of Fenotipado Cardiovascular, Laboratory of Technicians Notarise and Radioactive Installation, Service of animal experimentation, White Room of Cellular Production or the Institute of Oftalmobiología Applied, among others many.
In what consists his plan of action? Which is his committed? What objective pursues?
Between the foundational aims of the association are the dinamizar and promote the sector of the investigation oncológica in Castile and Leon, boosting for this the development of activities of learning, investigation and technology transfer and promote the growth and the competividad of his associated, achieve a strong business fabric that can compete in all type of markets and attain the full internationalisation.
Regarding our plan of action, for the next year, go us to centre in three axles: the identification of projects of public collaboration-private, doing special upsetting in the development of a strategy of regional public purchase; the development of opportunities of business and collaboration in the outside, fundamentally EE UU, and in increasing the visibility of our partners and of the clúster in front of third.
Speak me of the projects that has between hands in the actuality the clúster that chairs.
Are organising a matchmaking with universities, OPIS and Sacyl for the next months, with the aim to identify projects of collaboration. Also it is developing in narrow collaboration with the department of strategy and competitiveness of the ADE, a technological platform that serve like meeting point between all the actors of the sector. Of parallel way, through our office of technological assessment and in collaboration with the OTRI of the universities of the region, works in the transfer of several projects of investigation identified like susceptible to turn into spin-offs. In the international area, is valuing the participation in a technological mission to EE UU, for mediated of year.
