India to transfer cancer technology to Mexico

Felisa Guzmán /Rocío Castañeda

The Secretario de Asuntos Exteriores, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian company ImmunoACT, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) and the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), through which state-of-the-art technology will be developed in Mexico for the treatment of cancer. ImmunoACT focuses on the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, which have innovated in the treatment of different types of cancer and other diseases such as autoimmune diseases. Mexico does not have these types of treatments, and they are very expensive for patients. ImmunoACT has taken on the task of designing therapies with more accessible prices for the well-being of all people.

This agreement will allow Mexico to have access to one of the most innovative technologies in the world. "It is an immunotherapy technology to fight cancer, instead of using chemotherapy or radiotherapy, what is done is to activate the body's cells against cancer. It is a great step in the medical history of our country," said the Chancellor.

During the signing of the document by the heads of the Politécnico, Arturo Reyes Sandoval and the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ), José Sifuentes Osornio, and the Director de Estrategia Comercial of ImmunoACT, Shirish Arya, Ebrard Casaubón stressed the importance of establishing strategic alliances between public and academic institutions and the private sector to promote science, innovation and technology.

This formalized the cooperative relationship between Mexico and India to develop research projects, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and technology transfer on novel cell therapies for the treatment of different types of cancer in the Mexican population, the third leading cause of death in the country.

At the event, held remotely from ImmunoACT's headquarters in Mumbai, India, and from Mexico City at the Foreign Ministry building, IPN Director General Arturo Reyes Sandoval said that a symbiotic relationship was established with INCMNSZ to develop this cell therapy.

He explained that the contribution of the Politécnica is in the technological part, that is to say, in how to prepare the cells initially, in how to have the viral vectors ready to transfer the cells and make them more powerful to kill the neoplastic tissues.

Reyes Sandoval mentioned that the link with INCMNSZ came about naturally, because the technological part, the basic science, and the initial development of this project will be in charge of the Politécnico, while the administration of the cells and the clinical trials will be carried out at the "Salvador Zubirán" hospital.

These therapies, besides being an innovative treatment, make it possible for the neediest people in Mexico to have access to them, thanks to this alliance.

The director general of INCMNSZ, José Sifuentes, explained that the initiative will allow Mexico to introduce a new cell therapy technology for patients with neoplastic diseases. "It is a novel, intuitive technology, which allows having the individual's cells in culture and primed, that is to say, prepared to attack the malignant cells," he said.

The Indian ambassador in Mexico, Pankaj Sharma, said that his nation considers the world as a family, so it shares the best of locally developed technologies to alleviate human suffering and contribute to achieving a better planet.

With these actions of international cooperation for development, promoted by the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, through the Agencia Mexicana de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (Amexcid), diplomacy contributes to encouraging and promoting the development of science and technology, linking the health and academic and research sectors, to face the great global challenges in health, which will directly benefit Mexican society.

This agreement was reached thanks to a trip by the Secretario de Asuntos Exteriores, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, to India, together with a delegation from the health and education sectors to strengthen the Mexican health system through the negotiation of technology transfer agreements.

Read this article and many others in our magazine, Gaceta Politécnica (Spanish only).