Cuba · Science, Technology and Innovation Project
DermIA BioTechNat develops formulations with Thalassia testudinum, HeberFeron and artificial intelligence algorithms for the treatment of skin cancer, with an emphasis on personalized medicine.
The DermIA BioTechNat project is a Cuban research, development and innovation initiative that brings together two national reference institutions: the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICIMAR) and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), under the umbrella of the Financial Fund for Science and Innovation (FONCI).
Its general objective is to develop pharmaceutical formulations for the treatment of skin cancer, integrating natural ingredients of marine origin with the HeberFeron drug and mathematical algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AMIA) for personalized diagnosis and monitoring.
The project is classified as innovation at the national level, and combines basic research, applied research and experimental development across four formulation families, with staged pre-clinical and clinical studies.
The project advances on five parallel lines of formulations for skin cancer treatment, each with its own schedule of pre-clinical and clinical studies.
Pharmaceutical development of a cream with extract from the Cuban marine phanerogam Thalassia testudinum, aimed at protection against ultraviolet radiation and melanoma treatment. Includes pre-clinical proof-of-concept and safety studies, followed by clinical studies to demonstrate efficacy.
Pharmaceutical development of two gels in parallel: one with Thalassia testudinum extract and another with HeberFeron, for skin cancer treatment. Both undergo pre-clinical proof-of-concept and safety studies, and subsequent clinical studies to validate efficacy.
Pharmaceutical development of a formulation of interferon alpha-2b and gamma encapsulated in nano-lipids, aimed at improving delivery and reducing administration frequency. Pre-clinical proof-of-concept and safety studies, followed by clinical efficacy studies.
Pharmaceutical development of a formulation of Thalassia testudinum encapsulated in nano-lipids, exploring the synergy between the marine ingredient and controlled-release technology. Pre-clinical safety and clinical efficacy studies.
Development of mathematical algorithms based on artificial intelligence (AMIA) for the diagnosis and evaluation of skin cancer lesion evolution during treatment, with a personalized medicine approach. Includes a retrospective study of 10,000 images and a prospective clinical validation study in 1,000 patients.
The AMIA component of the project develops mathematical algorithms based on artificial intelligence to support the diagnosis and continuous evaluation of skin cancer lesions during HeberFeron treatment, focusing on aesthetics and each patient’s individual response.
Collection of 10,000 skin cancer diagnostic images for AI model training.
Use of lyophilized HeberFeron (current formulation) in patients with basal cell carcinoma and evaluation of lesion evolution using AMIA.
Clinical validation study of AMIA in 1,000 skin cancer patients treated with lyophilized HeberFeron.
The project brings together two top-tier Cuban research institutions, with a leadership team of scientists with extensive experience in biotechnology and marine sciences.
Full Researcher at CIGB. Head of the HeberFeron project since 2000. Over 40 years of work at CIGB in autoimmunity, allergy, cancer and diabetes. Author of more than 69 scientific publications and of the HeberFeron registrations in Cuba (2016, basal cell carcinoma; 2022, COVID-19).
Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICIMAR), the project’s lead executing entity. ICIMAR operates under the Environment Agency (AMA) of Cuba’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA).
The group’s scientific output, including original articles, reviews, conference presentations and patents associated with HeberFeron and the formulations under development.
DermIA BioTechNat offers three participation pathways for investors, strategic partners and academic collaborators, aligned with the five-formulation roadmap.
Seed capital round to co-finance Phase II/III clinical studies of priority formulations and accelerate AMIA algorithm development through validation in 1,000 patients.
Co-development agreements with pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology centers to license the Thalassia testudinum and HeberFeron formulations in selected territories, especially the Caribbean and Latin America.
Open call for visiting researchers and doctoral students in oncologic dermatology, marine biotechnology and machine learning applied to medical imaging, with thesis co-supervision.
Fill out the form and the project team will contact you. All information is treated confidentially under a standard NDA.
Donations fund the AMIA clinical image cohort, pre-clinical studies of Thalassia testudinum formulations and scholarships for young Cuban researchers.
Funds the digitization and annotation of 50 clinical images for AMIA.
Co-finances a pre-clinical safety study of a formulation.
Funds a 3-month scholarship for a young Cuban researcher.
Funds the complete retrospective study of 1,000 images for AMIA.
Funds a 3-month scholarship for a young Cuban researcher.
