Vicente Guillermo Vérez Bencomo

Vicente Vérez Chemical Engineer, Doctor in Chemical Sciences, Senior Researcher. Member of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), Member of the Cuban Society of Chemistry and President of the Carbohydrates section. Cuba's Representative to the International Carbohydrates Organization. Work specialty: Vaccine Design. He is the lead author of the synthetic antigen vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), which causes many of the bacterial infections suffered by children under five years of age. He is currently the General Director of the Finlay Institute of Vaccines in Havana.

Vicente completed his primary, secondary and pre-university studies in Havana.

In 1971 he began his Chemical Engineering studies at the "Lomonosov" Institute of Fine Chemical Technology in Moscow. He finished with excellent results and also completed his Master's degree in Chemistry.

In 1977, upon finishing his degree, he was placed at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Havana as an instructor in the Department of Organic Chemistry.

In 1981 he traveled to France to undergo training, and over the course of two years he developed and presented a State doctoral thesis, which he successfully defended in 1983. In 1984, the year the Carbohydrates Laboratory was inaugurated, he assumed its direction.

At the end of 1984 he began simultaneously directing the Chemical Synthesis group of the National Center for Biopreparations. In 1990 both laboratories merged into one and the Synthetic Antigens Laboratory was created at the Faculty of Chemistry.

Vérez Bencomo directed the group that developed a synthetic antigen for the early diagnosis of leprosy that has been used since 1986 in the ultramicroanalytical system for the diagnosis of this disease, both in Cuba and in other countries.

He directed the work that made it possible to obtain a synthetic antigen of the human blood group B and subsequently, a monoclonal antibody. Following clinical trials, this antibody was transferred to the Center for Molecular Immunology and is currently produced by LABEX in Santiago de Cuba for the country's blood banks.

He is one of the lead authors of the Cuban synthetic vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type b, which received health registration in November 2003 in Cuba. The vaccine patent received the Gold Medal from the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Award in the Health Category from the Museum for Innovation in San José, California.

Honors and Awards
He was awarded 3 "Builders of the Future" stamps and a special recognition for his trajectory in the Youth Technical Brigades.

In 1995 he received the Carlos J. Finlay Order (Council of State)

In 1996 and 2003 the Special Distinction granted by the Minister of Higher Education.

He was selected as National Vanguard of the Science Union in 1995, 1997, 2002 and 2003.

He received National Awards for Scientific-Technical Results from the Academy of Sciences of Cuba in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2004.

In 1999 and 2004 he received the Special Award from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment for the Result of Greatest Scientific Relevance.

He received Awards for Results reflecting the advancement of Greatest Importance and Originality from the University of Havana in 1986, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2003.

He received in 2004 the distinction "La Giraldilla" of Havana.

Positions Held
He has been a member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Havana.

Member of the Biological Front, executive of the Cuban Society of Chemistry. Member of the Expert Group of the National Vaccine Program.

Cuba's Representative to the International Carbohydrates Organization.

President of the Carbohydrates section of the Cuban Society of Chemistry.

He was a full member of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba during the periods 1998-2002 and 2002-2006 and is currently a member of merit.

During the period 2003-2007 he has been invited as a plenary speaker at the most important events in the specialties of Glycobiology, Glycoconjugates and Carbohydrates.

Director of the Center for Synthetic Antigens at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Havana, which is dedicated primarily to research and development of new vaccines and diagnostic reagents.

General Director of the Finlay Institute of Vaccines.