MEDICC Rev. 2007 Oct;9(1):14-5. doi: 10.37757/MR2007V9.N1.4.
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.
维森特·贝雷兹·本科莫博士是一位世界知名的科学家，他领导的团队发现并开发了使用合成抗原的古巴流感嗜血杆菌 b 型（Hib）疫苗——这在世界上尚属首例。本科莫博士在古巴、俄罗斯和法国接受教育，因其开创性工作获得了众多奖项，包括世界知识产权组织金奖（2005 年）和古巴国家化学奖（2006 年）。古巴 Hib 疫苗正在接受世界卫生组织的评估，以纳入发展中国家使用的疫苗接种包。本科莫博士在有影响力的国际科学期刊上广泛发表论文，是国际碳水化合物组织的古巴代表和古巴科学院高级成员。他目前是哈瓦那大学化学系下属合成抗原研究中心的主任。他接受了 MEDICC 评论的采访，谈到了流感嗜血杆菌 b 型的全球负担、作为科学家的动力、合成抗原如何应用于其他疫苗，以及他目前正在从事的工作。
