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♪

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NARRATOR:
One in three Americans
will be diagnosed with cancer

3
00:00:09,533 --> 00:00:10,833
in their lifetime.

4
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I... I have cancer?

5
00:00:12,466 --> 00:00:13,866
Like getting hit by a truck.

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♪

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GEORGE KEAYS:
The PET scan showed that I had

8
00:00:16,466 --> 00:00:17,866
eight metastasizes in the chest.

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♪

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YOUSUF ZAFAR:
I become anxious

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because their options

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become more and more limited.

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NARRATOR:
Some take matters
into their own hands.

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You know, I'm not trying
to break the law.

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But I'm also not gonna die.

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NARRATOR:
Even if it's illegal
to get treatment

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where they're going...

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(Cuban dance music playing)

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...Cuba.

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(music continues)

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CANDACE JOHNSON:
Wow...

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In Cuba, jeez.

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(horn honking)

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KUNLE ODUNSI:
What could come out of Cuba

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that we don't already know?

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♪

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NARRATOR:
How did a small nation

28
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cut off from modern
medical technology

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become a world player
in cancer science?

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Cuba was forced to think
outside the box.

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(shouting in Spanish)

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NARRATOR:
Castro had a vision.

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KELVIN LEE:
If there's a 2% chance
the science is right,

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we need to be there.

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♪

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LEE:
And there's nothing
in the United States.

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NARRATOR:
Can scientists whose countries
are political adversaries

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now work together
to fight cancer?

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If you are isolated,
you are dead in science.

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Cooperation is everything.

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Mosquito.
Yeah.

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BILL BLANCHET:
We added the Cuban vaccine,

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and his cancer gets smaller,

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and disappears.

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♪

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NARRATOR:
"Cuba's Cancer Hope."

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Don't cry.

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NARRATOR:
Right now, on "NOVA."

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♪

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Major funding for "NOVA"
is provided by the following:

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(breathing heavily)

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KEAYS:
Life isn't meant to be fair.

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It's meant to be lived.

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♪

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NARRATOR:
George Keays has always loved
the outdoors.

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He's 67 years old.

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KEAYS:
I was very active--

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runner, swimmer,

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loved mountain sports,
skiing, snowboarding,

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and that kind of thing.

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♪

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NARRATOR:
Today, he's preparing
for an unusual trip.

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♪

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It's a matter of life or death.
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It's a matter of life or death.

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George has stage IV lung cancer.

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KEAYS:
So this was really

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kind of a shock.

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Something like this put a crimp
in your style.

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♪

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NARRATOR:
This isn't George's
first encounter

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with the deadly disease.

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KEAYS:My wife was diagnosed years ago

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and my daughter was, uh, ten
and my other daughter was 20,

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and then she passed away
when they were 14 and 24.

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It was tragic;
they were, you know,

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very, very close to their mom.

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♪

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NARRATOR:One in three Americans will have
cancer in their lifetime.

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It's one of the leading causes
of death worldwide.

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When I first received
the diagnosis

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of stage IV pancreatic cancer,

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I was like, "Huh?

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"I... I have cancer?

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"Like, other people have cancer,

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I don't have cancer--
what are you talking about?"

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It was, uh, definitely
like getting hit by a truck--

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unexpected, for sure.

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I said, "Did you just
drop the bombshell on me

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that I think you did?"

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And I think that's when
it finally clicked.

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And he said yes.

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I'm about to be 35 in two weeks.

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It's been two years
that I'm living with

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metastatic breast cancer
at stage IV.

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NARRATOR:
There are more than 100
different types of cancer.

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In the U.S., they kill anestimated 600,000 people a year.

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The havoc cancer wreaks
on patients and families

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is devastating.

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My mom passed
because of breast cancer,

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and my dad passed
because of lung cancer.

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So for me...

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cancer was death.

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There's a period between
Christmas and New Year's

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one time where I didn't
get out of bed

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for that entire...
entire period, you know?

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(voice breaking):
My one daughter came in
and said, "Hey, Dad?

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You ever...
(voice catches in throat)

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Are you ever going to come play
with me again?"

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KEAYS:You go from being very healthy,

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suddenly, "Well, you have
six months to live."

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It hit my daughters
very, very hard.

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My oldest daughter said, um...

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"I just love you so much."

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♪

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NARRATOR:
When George was diagnosed,he discovered patients like him,

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where lung cancer metastasizes
throughout the body,

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often don't live much longer
than a year.

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That was four years ago.

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George is convinced
what's helping him stay alive

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is a new treatment
that goes beyond the radiation

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and chemo he's received.
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and chemo he's received.

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It's actually a lung cancer
vaccine.

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♪

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It's one of a new wave
of treatments

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that are transforming some
cancers from a death sentence

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into a chronic condition likediabetes or high blood pressure.

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♪

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ELIZABETH JAFFEE:
We're really in
a scientific revolution,

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particularly when it comes
to cancer research.

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Because there are a number of

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patients with deadly cancers,

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we can turn them into
chronic diseases

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where they're living years.

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♪

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NARRATOR:
But the cancer vaccine
George is receiving

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is not available in the U.S.

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In fact, it's against the law
for him to go

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where he's been goingfor this cutting-edge treatment.

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You know, I'm not trying
to break the law.

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I'm not,
but I'm also not gonna die.

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♪

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(latch clicks open)

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NARRATOR:
To fill his prescription,George has to fly 2,000 miles...

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...to Cuba.

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("Havana Son" by Alexander
Wilson and Davide Giovannini
playing)

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(men singing in Spanish)

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(horn honking)

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(singing continues)

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♪

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NARRATOR:
But why is George
risking a trip to Cuba,

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00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,800
when some of the most advanced
cancer medicine in the world

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is back in the U.S.?

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What could a small
communist nation

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embargoed by the U.S.
for over 50 years

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bring to the fight
against cancer?

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(car horn honking)

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♪

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Cuba's advances in cancer
treatment are largely unknown

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to most Americans.

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♪

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LEE:
I think everybody here

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00:08:04,100 --> 00:08:08,933
thought that Cuba was stuck in
"I Love Lucy" days--

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you know, the 1950s, old cars,

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can't possibly be any good
science going on.

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I mean certainly I did not know
about what was going on.

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Kind of, you know,
what could come out of Cuba

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that we don't already know?

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NARRATOR:
Cuba is a small country
with big contradictions.

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♪

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(speaking Spanish)

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(horn honking)

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♪

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(speaking Spanish)

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NARRATOR:
Even though the island
is impoverished,

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it continues to provide freehealthcare to all its citizens.

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♪

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One of them is Marta Reymo.

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♪

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She shares her small apartment
in Havana

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with her family,
including her grandson.
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with her family,
including her grandson.

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♪

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00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,633
(speaking Spanish)

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(translated):
Yes, yes, I smoked.

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But, like a year before I got
the disease, I quit smoking.

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Why?

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Because I had a sister who had
the same thing I have today.

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And when she had cancer
and the doctor talked about

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smoking and such,

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I quit too, but, well,
the damage was already done.

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NARRATOR:The popularity of Cuba's famous
cigars and cigarettes

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contributes to lung cancerbeing the deadliest cancer here,

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as it is in the U.S.

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Some time in 2009, Marta just
wasn't feeling like herself.

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00:09:46,366 --> 00:09:48,200
(speaking Spanish)

198
00:09:48,233 --> 00:09:50,900
(translated):
I went in for my X-ray
and an ultrasound

199
00:09:50,933 --> 00:09:53,400
and I had a CT scan.

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00:09:53,433 --> 00:09:54,633
After all the tests,

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00:09:54,666 --> 00:09:58,033
they told me that I had a growth
in my right lung.

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NARRATOR:
Like George Keays,
she was diagnosed with

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00:10:01,700 --> 00:10:04,233
inoperable stage IV
lung cancer.

204
00:10:04,266 --> 00:10:07,133
(Marta speaking Spanish)

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00:10:07,166 --> 00:10:10,400
REYMO (translated):
Saying that disease,
I thought the worst.

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00:10:10,433 --> 00:10:12,866
I thought I was going to die.

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NARRATOR:
Not only did Marta lose
her sister to lung cancer,

208
00:10:16,866 --> 00:10:18,466
but Marta's daughter--

209
00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:22,000
who is a nurse--
lost her husband as well.

210
00:10:22,033 --> 00:10:24,700
(speaking Spanish)

211
00:10:24,733 --> 00:10:27,700
(translated):
My husband died six months
before this,

212
00:10:27,733 --> 00:10:30,866
from the same disease, and now
I have to face the situation

213
00:10:30,900 --> 00:10:32,366
again with my mother.

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00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:35,433
It was really hard for me,
very difficult.

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NARRATOR:
Marta's lung cancer began
the way all cancers do.

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ZAFAR:
Cancer is

217
00:10:43,266 --> 00:10:46,500
our own body going awry,

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00:10:46,533 --> 00:10:50,433
starting with a single cellin our body that stops listening

219
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to the signals to stop growing,

220
00:10:52,866 --> 00:10:55,433
or stop behaving
in a certain way.

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00:10:55,466 --> 00:10:58,500
And when that cell stops
listening to those signals,

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it starts growing
out of control,

223
00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:04,366
and it turns into cancer.

224
00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:10,366
NARRATOR:The bloodstream becomes cancer's
highway to reach other organs.

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00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:12,266
RICE:
And so then she says, um...

226
00:11:12,300 --> 00:11:15,933
"You have it in multiple areas
of your body,

227
00:11:15,966 --> 00:11:17,300
"it's already spread.

228
00:11:17,333 --> 00:11:20,666
"It's in your ovary,
it's in your liver,

229
00:11:20,700 --> 00:11:21,900
"it's in your pancreas,

230
00:11:21,933 --> 00:11:24,033
and you got a couple areas
in your lungs."

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00:11:24,066 --> 00:11:26,033
One day when I was working,

232
00:11:26,066 --> 00:11:29,766
I heard something,
like... breaking,

233
00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,466
and they took me
to the emergency room,

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00:11:32,500 --> 00:11:37,166
took the pictures, and it shows
a fracture in my spine.

235
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The cancer made that.

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00:11:41,766 --> 00:11:44,033
NARRATOR:
Historically in the fight
against cancer,

237
00:11:44,066 --> 00:11:47,100
treatment options
have been surgery, radiation,

238
00:11:47,133 --> 00:11:49,400
and chemotherapy.

239
00:11:49,433 --> 00:11:53,500
Marta's found another option.

240
00:11:53,533 --> 00:11:56,933
For ten years she's been taking
a cancer vaccine

241
00:11:56,966 --> 00:11:59,933
called CIMAvax-EGF.

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00:11:59,966 --> 00:12:02,300
Cuban clinical trials show
that it extends life
WEBVTT
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00:11:59,966 --> 00:12:02,300
Cuban clinical trials show
that it extends life

244
00:12:02,333 --> 00:12:05,300
by three to five months
on average.

245
00:12:05,333 --> 00:12:08,200
And about 15% of patients,
including Marta,

246
00:12:08,233 --> 00:12:12,633
have survived five years
or more.

247
00:12:12,666 --> 00:12:15,766
CIMAvax is one of a class
of new drugs

248
00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,533
that activates the immune system
to fight cancer.

249
00:12:19,566 --> 00:12:23,233
They're called immunotherapies.

250
00:12:23,266 --> 00:12:25,866
Immunotherapy broadly
is essentially

251
00:12:25,900 --> 00:12:26,966
using the immune system

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00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:28,533
to fight human disease.

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00:12:28,566 --> 00:12:30,733
♪

254
00:12:30,766 --> 00:12:34,733
NARRATOR:
Our immune system protects us
from infection and disease

255
00:12:34,766 --> 00:12:39,300
by identifying foreign threats
like bacteria or viruses

256
00:12:39,333 --> 00:12:41,533
that are dangerous to the body.

257
00:12:41,566 --> 00:12:44,833
When a threat is identified,
immune cells,

258
00:12:44,866 --> 00:12:50,500
like killer T-cells, aresignaled to attack and destroy.

259
00:12:50,533 --> 00:12:53,300
But it was only in the last
few decades that scientists

260
00:12:53,333 --> 00:12:55,866
realized they could use
the immune system

261
00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:58,800
to not only attack
foreign invaders,

262
00:12:58,833 --> 00:13:01,933
but also attack cancer.

263
00:13:01,966 --> 00:13:05,033
(speaking Spanish)

264
00:13:05,066 --> 00:13:07,700
(translated):
I feel that
after all these meds,

265
00:13:07,733 --> 00:13:09,800
I have gotten my life back.

266
00:13:12,133 --> 00:13:14,966
I've been getting treatment
for ten years now.

267
00:13:17,066 --> 00:13:20,566
♪

268
00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:24,200
(man singing in Spanish)

269
00:13:25,733 --> 00:13:28,366
NARRATOR:
Marta's daughter works
the day shift as a nurse.

270
00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,800
At night, she helps organize
her mother's care.

271
00:13:31,833 --> 00:13:34,466
Most of the medicines
distributed to patients

272
00:13:34,500 --> 00:13:37,733
like Marta are manufactured
in Cuba.

273
00:13:37,766 --> 00:13:42,066
(translated):
We have been able to extend
her life, and quality of life,

274
00:13:42,100 --> 00:13:43,966
that's the most important thing.

275
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:49,866
♪

276
00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:52,066
NARRATOR:
The CIMAvax cancer vaccine
Marta's taking

277
00:13:52,100 --> 00:13:55,666
is now used to treat
thousands of patients in Cuba

278
00:13:55,700 --> 00:13:58,000
and other countries.

279
00:13:59,566 --> 00:14:03,533
How is it possible for a country
as poor and isolated as Cuba

280
00:14:03,566 --> 00:14:07,566
to come up with cutting-edge
medicines like this?

281
00:14:09,466 --> 00:14:12,566
Cuba's unique approach
to medical research

282
00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:14,500
stretches back 60 years--

283
00:14:14,533 --> 00:14:18,066
to the time of the
Cuban Revolution.

284
00:14:18,100 --> 00:14:24,166
♪

285
00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,333
1959.

286
00:14:26,366 --> 00:14:28,933
Fidel Castro, a former lawyer,

287
00:14:28,966 --> 00:14:32,800
leads a revolution thatoverthrows the Cuban government.

288
00:14:32,833 --> 00:14:37,566
(in Spanish):

289
00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:39,933
(crowd cheering)

290
00:14:39,966 --> 00:14:43,666
The revolution establishes
a one-party Communist state

291
00:14:43,700 --> 00:14:47,333
with Castro as its
authoritarian leader.

292
00:14:47,366 --> 00:14:49,166
♪

293
00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,233
VELA VALDEÉS:
It was not only
a change of government.

294
00:14:52,266 --> 00:14:57,566
It was mainly a change
of economic, political,

295
00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:59,066
and social structure

296
00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:00,866
of the country.

297
00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:03,500
NARRATOR:Medical science is at the heart
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

298
00:15:00,900 --> 00:15:03,500
NARRATOR:Medical science is at the heart

299
00:15:03,533 --> 00:15:05,433
 
of Castro's vision.

300
00:15:06,033 --> 00:15:09,733
CASTRO (in Spanish):

301
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:18,966
JOHN KIRK:
He was a person who clearly

302
00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,200
was obsessed with public health
and education.

303
00:15:22,233 --> 00:15:24,833
In 1960,
year one of the revolution,

304
00:15:24,866 --> 00:15:27,700
he talked about the need
for, for science in Cuba.

305
00:15:27,733 --> 00:15:31,600
So from the very beginning,he saw science as an opportunity

306
00:15:31,633 --> 00:15:33,000
 
to bring Cuba

307
00:15:33,033 --> 00:15:35,633
kicking and screaming
into the modern era.

308
00:15:35,666 --> 00:15:37,033
He claimed on several occasions

309
00:15:37,066 --> 00:15:40,500
that access to healthcare wasthe most fundamental human right

310
00:15:40,533 --> 00:15:41,866
 
that existed in the world.

311
00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:44,166
♪

312
00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:46,133
NARRATOR:
Castro promises
free healthcare--

313
00:15:46,166 --> 00:15:50,666
a promise later written into
the new constitution.

314
00:15:50,700 --> 00:15:52,666
♪

315
00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:55,700
But as the new government
nationalizes business,

316
00:15:55,733 --> 00:15:59,633
confiscates private wealth,
and tears lives apart,

317
00:15:59,666 --> 00:16:02,300
many professionals--
including doctors--

318
00:16:02,333 --> 00:16:03,900
flee the country.

319
00:16:03,933 --> 00:16:08,100
KIRK:
If you were part of the white
urban middle class in Havana,

320
00:16:08,133 --> 00:16:10,633
you had everything to lose
by staying.

321
00:16:10,666 --> 00:16:12,500
Most of the doctors decided
that it was in

322
00:16:12,533 --> 00:16:14,433
their best interest
to, to leave.

323
00:16:14,466 --> 00:16:19,666
NARRATOR:
Juan Vela Valdés was minister
of higher education.

324
00:16:19,700 --> 00:16:21,533
(ship horn blares)

325
00:16:21,566 --> 00:16:26,100
VALDEÉS:In 1958, we had 6,500 physicians
in our country.

326
00:16:26,133 --> 00:16:30,400
From '59 to '62, in three years,

327
00:16:30,433 --> 00:16:34,966
half of the doctors flew away
from our country.

328
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,966
NARRATOR:
Cuba has to rebuild
the healthcare system

329
00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,100
from the ground up.

330
00:16:39,133 --> 00:16:41,766
Castro establishes
new universities,

331
00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:43,933
clinics, and medical schools

332
00:16:43,966 --> 00:16:45,800
across the island.

333
00:16:45,833 --> 00:16:47,600
And he sends thousands

334
00:16:47,633 --> 00:16:49,833
of medical students
and doctors abroad

335
00:16:49,866 --> 00:16:52,433
to study at some of
the top medical universities

336
00:16:52,466 --> 00:16:55,000
in the developed world.

337
00:16:55,033 --> 00:16:56,833
During the '60s and the '70s,

338
00:16:56,866 --> 00:17:00,300
many people were sent abroad
to study science.

339
00:17:00,333 --> 00:17:03,900
I spent two and a half years
in Paris.

340
00:17:03,933 --> 00:17:07,766
NARRATOR:
Agustín Lage was later chosen
to be the first director

341
00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,400
for the Center of Molecular
Immunology,

342
00:17:10,433 --> 00:17:13,533
one of Cuba's leading
biopharma research centers.

343
00:17:14,733 --> 00:17:16,066
LAGE:
Getting training

344
00:17:16,100 --> 00:17:18,833
in biochemistry
and cancer biology,

345
00:17:18,866 --> 00:17:21,366
my... my supervisor

346
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:26,066
is Luc Montagnier,
discoverer of the AIDS virus.

347
00:17:26,100 --> 00:17:28,733
NARRATOR:
When they return to Cuba,

348
00:17:28,766 --> 00:17:30,800
many of these students
and doctors

349
00:17:30,833 --> 00:17:32,833
are tasked with building
the country's

350
00:17:32,866 --> 00:17:34,633
new public health service--

351
00:17:34,666 --> 00:17:38,200
the difficulty heightened
by political tensions

352
00:17:38,233 --> 00:17:40,866
and economic isolation.

353
00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:43,233
JOHN F. KENNEDY:
The forces of Communism

354
00:17:43,266 --> 00:17:44,533
are not to be underestimated

355
00:17:44,566 --> 00:17:49,166
in Cuba or anywhere else
in the world.

356
00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:50,700
NARRATOR:
In 1962,

357
00:17:50,733 --> 00:17:52,466
at the height of the Cold War,

358
00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:56,400
President Kennedy announces
an expanded trade embargo

359
00:17:56,433 --> 00:17:58,966
against Cuba.

360
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,066
Today, Cubans call it
"el bloqueo"-- "the blockade."
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

361
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:04,066
Today, Cubans call it
"el bloqueo"-- "the blockade."

362
00:18:04,100 --> 00:18:07,433
♪

363
00:18:07,466 --> 00:18:10,366
The American embargo would
include hospital equipment,

364
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:15,966
medical supplies,
and even ordinary antibiotics.

365
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:17,133
KIRK:
As a result,

366
00:18:17,166 --> 00:18:19,266
Cuba was forced
to think outside the box,

367
00:18:19,300 --> 00:18:22,333
particularly in terms
of medical research.

368
00:18:22,366 --> 00:18:24,900
One of the things that-that
allowed it to do

369
00:18:24,933 --> 00:18:27,900
was to start producing
its own medicines.

370
00:18:27,933 --> 00:18:30,000
♪

371
00:18:30,033 --> 00:18:33,066
NARRATOR:
Castro developsa self-sustaining medical sector

372
00:18:33,100 --> 00:18:34,900
 
to manufacture medicines

373
00:18:34,933 --> 00:18:38,500
for Cuba's public health
service.

374
00:18:38,533 --> 00:18:41,600
Throughout his regime,
Castro continues to emphasize

375
00:18:41,633 --> 00:18:46,233
the importance of human capital
and science as Cuba's future.

376
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:48,366
CASTRO:

377
00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,433
♪

378
00:19:10,466 --> 00:19:13,766
NARRATOR:
Today, Cuba reports
health statistics

379
00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:15,666
that rival the U.S.

380
00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:18,966
But some researchers caution
these may be unreliable

381
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,866
due to manipulated data.

382
00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:23,300
(bus engine rumbles)

383
00:19:23,333 --> 00:19:26,433
Free medical care
for ordinary Cubans

384
00:19:26,466 --> 00:19:30,166
is provided often at clinics
with scarce equipment

385
00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:36,400
or serviced by physicians who
drive cabs to make ends meet.

386
00:19:36,433 --> 00:19:39,766
That's not the case
at La Pradera.

387
00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,033
It was designed to attract

388
00:19:42,066 --> 00:19:47,300
international patients
who pay in hard currency.

389
00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:50,233
So we're going to turn... here.

390
00:19:50,266 --> 00:19:52,233
NARRATOR:
For nearly two years,

391
00:19:52,266 --> 00:19:57,600
George Keays has been coming
here for treatment and rest.

392
00:19:57,633 --> 00:19:59,300
Everyone knows George.

393
00:19:59,333 --> 00:20:02,066
(woman speaking Spanish,
George repeating)

394
00:20:02,100 --> 00:20:05,133
(George speaking Spanish)

395
00:20:05,166 --> 00:20:06,500
(woman laughs)

396
00:20:06,533 --> 00:20:08,433
My mother in Cuba.

397
00:20:08,466 --> 00:20:10,300
I think it was March of 2015,
and I went for

398
00:20:10,333 --> 00:20:13,400
an annual physical
with my primary care doctor.

399
00:20:13,433 --> 00:20:15,533
He said at that time, "You know,
your cough looks kinda like

400
00:20:15,566 --> 00:20:17,600
maybe an allergic cough."

401
00:20:17,633 --> 00:20:19,300
But the cough was getting worse

402
00:20:19,333 --> 00:20:22,600
and so ordered a CAT scan.

403
00:20:22,633 --> 00:20:24,833
And I remember I left the office
and the doctor called me.

404
00:20:24,866 --> 00:20:26,066
"Get back in here.

405
00:20:26,100 --> 00:20:27,033
You have a growth in your lung."

406
00:20:27,066 --> 00:20:31,200
♪

407
00:20:31,233 --> 00:20:33,766
So, then I went for
a full-body PET scan

408
00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:35,700
to determine how far
this had spread.

409
00:20:35,733 --> 00:20:38,333
It showed that I hadeight metastasizes in the chest

410
00:20:38,366 --> 00:20:39,566
 
along the lymph nodes,

411
00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:41,400
one in the shoulder and it
had spread to my brain,

412
00:20:41,433 --> 00:20:45,733
so I had a brain tumor as well.

413
00:20:45,766 --> 00:20:47,600
♪

414
00:20:47,633 --> 00:20:51,766
NARRATOR:Lung cancer is the leading cause
of cancer deaths worldwide--

415
00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:55,933
more than 1.6 million each year.

416
00:20:55,966 --> 00:21:02,066
More than breast, colon,
and prostate cancers combined.
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

417
00:20:55,966 --> 00:21:02,066
More than breast, colon,
and prostate cancers combined.

418
00:21:02,100 --> 00:21:04,133
Here is a reconstructedCAT scan.

419
00:21:04,166 --> 00:21:06,366
This is the metastasis.

420
00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:08,433
NARRATOR:
One reason lung cancer
is so deadly,

421
00:21:08,466 --> 00:21:11,400
is that often,by the time there are symptoms--

422
00:21:11,433 --> 00:21:13,900
like coughing, back pain,
or difficulty breathing--

423
00:21:13,933 --> 00:21:16,800
the disease has already spread.

424
00:21:16,833 --> 00:21:18,500
The large tumor here...

425
00:21:18,533 --> 00:21:19,866
NARRATOR:
This was distressing news

426
00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:22,500
for George, a non-smoker.

427
00:21:22,533 --> 00:21:28,133
His lung cancer cells had been
growing undetected for years.

428
00:21:28,166 --> 00:21:32,600
KEAYS:
At that point, you know,the prognosis was pretty grim--

429
00:21:32,633 --> 00:21:35,033
less than two years,
probably less than a year.

430
00:21:37,166 --> 00:21:40,366
MARY REID:
Late-stage lung cancer
progresses very quickly.

431
00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,466
Historically there hasn't really
been much to do other than

432
00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:46,600
try chemotherapy, try radiation,

433
00:21:46,633 --> 00:21:48,800
try some maybe targeted therapy,

434
00:21:48,833 --> 00:21:51,733
and then
keep people comfortable...

435
00:21:51,766 --> 00:21:53,833
until they die.

436
00:21:53,866 --> 00:21:56,233
♪

437
00:21:56,266 --> 00:21:59,400
KEAYS:
I had had 15 radiation
treatments

438
00:21:59,433 --> 00:22:02,433
in the clinical trial program.

439
00:22:02,466 --> 00:22:06,000
And one radiation treatment
to the brain.

440
00:22:06,033 --> 00:22:09,133
I was taking gene therapy.

441
00:22:09,166 --> 00:22:12,366
And then cancer mutates,
it basically

442
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,000
starts to get smart
about what you're...

443
00:22:14,033 --> 00:22:15,500
what you're treating it with.

444
00:22:15,533 --> 00:22:19,666
NARRATOR:
Watching the news one evening,
George learns about

445
00:22:19,700 --> 00:22:22,566
new treatments emerging in Cuba.

446
00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,433
A lung cancer vaccine,
developed in Cuba...

447
00:22:25,466 --> 00:22:26,800
KEAYS:I actually saw it on television

448
00:22:26,833 --> 00:22:29,366
where people from Roswell Cancer
Center in New York

449
00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:30,966
went to Cuba,

450
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:32,866
and they were looking at
alternative treatments.

451
00:22:32,900 --> 00:22:36,566
NARRATOR:
His research convinces him
the Cuban drugs

452
00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,966
might help him more than
what is available in the U.S.

453
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,366
George wants in.

454
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,800
His doctor urges him
to call Havana.

455
00:22:46,833 --> 00:22:49,833
And they said,"Yeah, we think that, you know,

456
00:22:49,866 --> 00:22:51,033
"you, you could...
you could come down here,

457
00:22:51,066 --> 00:22:53,266
and see if a vaccine
might work."

458
00:22:55,166 --> 00:22:56,433
NARRATOR:
Immunotherapies,

459
00:22:56,466 --> 00:22:58,766
including Cuba's cancer
vaccines,

460
00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,366
are a medical breakthrough.

461
00:23:02,966 --> 00:23:05,000
For years, scientists believed

462
00:23:05,033 --> 00:23:08,266
the immune system could not
attack cancer cells,

463
00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:12,200
because unlike an invading
virus or bacteria,

464
00:23:12,233 --> 00:23:16,600
they are considered to be
part of us.

465
00:23:16,633 --> 00:23:20,600
Cancers are really 99% you.

466
00:23:20,633 --> 00:23:22,166
They're 99% normal.

467
00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:26,000
So the immune system
largely sees them as normal.

468
00:23:26,033 --> 00:23:31,300
NARRATOR:Even into the 1980s, researchers
who believe they can harness

469
00:23:31,333 --> 00:23:36,700
the immune system against cancer
are considered renegades.

470
00:23:39,933 --> 00:23:42,966
I was a graduate student
in the late '70s at Stanford.

471
00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:47,400
People were suspicious
of the ability to actually

472
00:23:47,433 --> 00:23:50,800
provoke an immune response
against the cancer cells.

473
00:23:50,833 --> 00:23:53,000
We're saying we can do something
against cancer,

474
00:23:53,033 --> 00:23:54,833
and everybody's sort of
laughing, right.

475
00:23:54,866 --> 00:23:56,633
♪

476
00:23:56,666 --> 00:24:01,533
NARRATOR:
But it turns out theimmune system does fight cancer.
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

477
00:23:56,666 --> 00:24:01,533
NARRATOR:
But it turns out theimmune system does fight cancer.

478
00:24:01,566 --> 00:24:04,766
The battle begins as soon
as normal cells

479
00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,133
mutate into cancer cells.

480
00:24:09,166 --> 00:24:11,400
Long before anybody knows
that they have cancer,

481
00:24:11,433 --> 00:24:13,733
there's this ongoing war
of the immune system

482
00:24:13,766 --> 00:24:16,266
trying to control the cancerand the cancer trying to escape.

483
00:24:16,300 --> 00:24:21,600
NARRATOR:If the cancer learns how to mask
itself from the immune system,

484
00:24:21,633 --> 00:24:25,766
it can gain the upper hand
and grow.

485
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,733
LEE:
So by the time the cancer
actually grows large enough

486
00:24:28,766 --> 00:24:31,366
to be detected
by our normal tests,

487
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,600
it's already figured out how toget away from the immune system.

488
00:24:34,633 --> 00:24:36,200
♪

489
00:24:36,233 --> 00:24:41,033
NARRATOR:But finally, researchers learned
how cancer masks itself.

490
00:24:41,066 --> 00:24:42,833
(applause)

491
00:24:42,866 --> 00:24:46,300
And in 2018, Tasuku Honjo
and James Allison

492
00:24:46,333 --> 00:24:48,266
won the Nobel Prize

493
00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:50,800
for discovering
how to unmask cancer

494
00:24:50,833 --> 00:24:55,166
and let the immune system
do its job.

495
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:57,500
This is how it works.

496
00:24:57,533 --> 00:24:59,766
When you and I get
an infection...

497
00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:01,566
♪

498
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:06,100
usually the immune system
revs up.

499
00:25:06,133 --> 00:25:07,333
But at some point,

500
00:25:07,366 --> 00:25:10,466
the immune system
has to stop and rest.

501
00:25:10,500 --> 00:25:14,400
NARRATOR:The body has natural mechanisms
that stop the immune system

502
00:25:14,433 --> 00:25:18,100
so it won't damage
ordinary cells.

503
00:25:18,133 --> 00:25:20,500
These are called checkpoints.

504
00:25:20,533 --> 00:25:21,800
ODUNSI:
But, it turns out

505
00:25:21,833 --> 00:25:23,700
that these same mechanisms

506
00:25:23,733 --> 00:25:25,866
that tells the immune system
to stop

507
00:25:25,900 --> 00:25:30,100
have been hijacked in cancer.

508
00:25:30,133 --> 00:25:33,900
The cancer is sending a signal
to the immune system to stop.

509
00:25:36,300 --> 00:25:39,866
NARRATOR:
Honjo and Allison figured out
how to turn the immune system

510
00:25:39,900 --> 00:25:41,900
back on.

511
00:25:41,933 --> 00:25:45,200
Their discoveries led
to checkpoint inhibitors--

512
00:25:45,233 --> 00:25:49,066
drugs that can turn
cancer's signal off.

513
00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:54,200
Now, the immune system canrecognize the cancer and attack.

514
00:25:54,233 --> 00:25:58,033
It took 30 years ofunderstanding the immune system

515
00:25:58,066 --> 00:26:01,400
before we could understand
how to make the immune system

516
00:26:01,433 --> 00:26:02,533
recognize cancer.

517
00:26:02,566 --> 00:26:07,133
♪

518
00:26:07,166 --> 00:26:10,600
NARRATOR:
How did scientists learn
to use the immune system

519
00:26:10,633 --> 00:26:13,833
as a weapon against cancer?

520
00:26:13,866 --> 00:26:16,700
For Cuba,
and the rest of the world,

521
00:26:16,733 --> 00:26:19,400
it all starts with interferon.

522
00:26:19,433 --> 00:26:21,533
REPORTER:
A substance known
as interferon...

523
00:26:21,566 --> 00:26:24,000
REPORTER 2:...the body produces interferon
in minute amounts.

524
00:26:24,033 --> 00:26:26,300
...the body's natural
first line of defense

525
00:26:26,333 --> 00:26:27,733
against viral infection.

526
00:26:27,766 --> 00:26:33,866
NARRATOR:
In the 1980s, interferon
was a science sensation--

527
00:26:33,900 --> 00:26:38,000
the first breakthrough drug madefrom the body's own immune cells

528
00:26:38,033 --> 00:26:41,300
with the potential
to fight cancer.

529
00:26:41,333 --> 00:26:45,666
LEE:
Interferon is a major defense
mechanism the body uses

530
00:26:45,700 --> 00:26:49,500
when it is infected with a virus
or has a cancer growing in it.

531
00:26:49,533 --> 00:26:51,100
♪

532
00:26:51,133 --> 00:26:54,433
NARRATOR:
Interferon can prevent
viral infection from spreading

533
00:26:54,466 --> 00:26:58,433
and signals immune cells
to attack the virus.

534
00:26:58,466 --> 00:27:01,100
Interferon was our very first
immunotherapeutic drug
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

535
00:26:58,466 --> 00:27:01,100
Interferon was our very first
immunotherapeutic drug

536
00:27:01,133 --> 00:27:04,433
that could be made
in large quantities.

537
00:27:05,233 --> 00:27:06,833
NARRATOR:
In 1980,

538
00:27:06,866 --> 00:27:11,966
renowned American oncologist
Randolph Lee Clark visits Cuba

539
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,966
and tells Castro
about interferon.

540
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,100
LUIS HERRERA:
(speaking Spanish)

541
00:27:19,133 --> 00:27:23,533
(translated):
Dr. Clark explained to Fidel

542
00:27:23,566 --> 00:27:26,666
that interferon was
one of the promising drugs

543
00:27:26,700 --> 00:27:29,200
for cancer treatment.

544
00:27:29,233 --> 00:27:32,733
That's what drove him
to want to make interferon.

545
00:27:32,766 --> 00:27:38,300
NARRATOR:
Castro sends doctors first
to study with Clark in Texas

546
00:27:38,333 --> 00:27:40,566
and then to Helsinki, Finland,

547
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,233
where they learn
how to purify interferon

548
00:27:43,266 --> 00:27:46,800
from white blood cells.

549
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,166
When they return to Havana,

550
00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,500
the doctors are taken
straight to a house

551
00:27:52,533 --> 00:27:54,800
refitted with
a new laboratory...

552
00:27:56,533 --> 00:27:58,533
House 149.

553
00:27:58,566 --> 00:27:59,800
♪

554
00:27:59,833 --> 00:28:04,300
Castro gives them
a simple instruction:

555
00:28:04,333 --> 00:28:08,500
make interferon for Cuba.

556
00:28:08,533 --> 00:28:11,033
HERRERA (in English):They worked constantly every day

557
00:28:11,066 --> 00:28:14,200
 
until 10:00 or 11:00 at night.

558
00:28:14,233 --> 00:28:20,800
♪

559
00:28:20,833 --> 00:28:24,166
Fidel came here
almost every day,

560
00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:26,666
just making questions.

561
00:28:28,266 --> 00:28:30,366
It was very, very,
very intensive.

562
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,766
♪

563
00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,933
NARRATOR:
It takes scientists
in other countries

564
00:28:35,966 --> 00:28:40,433
as long as a year to replicate
the purification process.

565
00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:46,233
The Cuban doctors
master it in 42 days.

566
00:28:47,966 --> 00:28:51,000
But around the same time,
a new technology,

567
00:28:51,033 --> 00:28:53,400
first developed in California,

568
00:28:53,433 --> 00:28:58,133
is gaining ground worldwide:
genetic engineering.

569
00:28:58,166 --> 00:29:02,466
Castro sends Luis Herrera
to Europe to investigate.

570
00:29:02,500 --> 00:29:06,066
HERRERA:
I remained in Europe some time
getting that information.

571
00:29:06,100 --> 00:29:08,766
I came back, and I met Fidel.

572
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:10,666
And then he started
to make questions

573
00:29:10,700 --> 00:29:13,500
concerning genetic engineering.

574
00:29:15,033 --> 00:29:18,100
NARRATOR:The genetic engineering process
Herrera brings back to Cuba

575
00:29:18,133 --> 00:29:22,266
is transforming science
across the globe.

576
00:29:22,300 --> 00:29:26,366
In the laboratory, scientists
remove a section of DNA

577
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:27,700
from a human cell

578
00:29:27,733 --> 00:29:31,066
that codes for
a specific protein.

579
00:29:31,100 --> 00:29:36,866
They then insert that DNA into
the DNA of a bacterial cell.

580
00:29:36,900 --> 00:29:38,733
As the bacteria replicates,

581
00:29:38,766 --> 00:29:45,266
it carries the code for the
human protein in its own DNA.

582
00:29:45,300 --> 00:29:47,033
And you can put the bacteria
in a fermenter,

583
00:29:47,066 --> 00:29:49,666
and you have millions
of flasks of interferon.

584
00:29:49,700 --> 00:29:52,200
♪

585
00:29:52,233 --> 00:29:56,600
NARRATOR:
It turned out interferon only
works against a few cancers.

586
00:29:56,633 --> 00:29:59,866
But the process
of making interferon

587
00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:02,233
took immunotherapy science
to a new level.
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

588
00:29:59,900 --> 00:30:02,233
took immunotherapy science
to a new level.

589
00:30:02,266 --> 00:30:05,500
Genetic engineering
started a new approach

590
00:30:05,533 --> 00:30:09,733
to fighting cancer
around the world and in Cuba.

591
00:30:09,766 --> 00:30:14,766
By this time,
Castro's ambitions were clear.

592
00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,766
That's the first time
I heard him to say

593
00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:22,433
that we can become
a medical power.

594
00:30:22,466 --> 00:30:26,666
HERRERA:
That was the beginning
of the whole biotechnology

595
00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:28,466
development in Cuba.

596
00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:30,500
♪

597
00:30:30,533 --> 00:30:34,533
NARRATOR:
Cuba would go on to build a
world-class biotech industry.

598
00:30:35,933 --> 00:30:37,366
Research, development,

599
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,500
quality control,
and distribution

600
00:30:39,533 --> 00:30:43,600
are all the responsibility
of one government agency:

601
00:30:43,633 --> 00:30:45,800
BioCubaFarma.

602
00:30:45,833 --> 00:30:47,700
FINN:
They're a small country,

603
00:30:47,733 --> 00:30:51,033
the communication is much
quicker and faster.

604
00:30:51,066 --> 00:30:53,066
They can, um, immediately

605
00:30:53,100 --> 00:30:56,333
make a drug available
to all the patients

606
00:30:56,366 --> 00:30:57,833
who qualify for that drug

607
00:30:57,866 --> 00:31:01,500
and immediately collect the data
on a large number of patients.

608
00:31:01,533 --> 00:31:05,000
NARRATOR:
Cuba's 30-plus
bio-pharma facilities

609
00:31:05,033 --> 00:31:08,400
hold over 2,000
international patents

610
00:31:08,433 --> 00:31:13,066
for drugs and processes
in use around the world.

611
00:31:13,100 --> 00:31:14,366
But the trade embargo

612
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:18,233
makes all these treatments
unavailable in the U.S.

613
00:31:18,266 --> 00:31:21,666
Like Vaxira, the cancer vaccine

614
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:25,466
George Keays has been taking
for nearly two years.

615
00:31:29,866 --> 00:31:31,600
KEAYS:
I get one to two calls a week

616
00:31:31,633 --> 00:31:33,366
from people
who have heard about me,

617
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:34,766
have heard that I'm coming here,

618
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:37,400
and ask questions, like,
"Where do you get the vaccine?

619
00:31:37,433 --> 00:31:39,400
How did it work for you?"
You know?

620
00:31:39,433 --> 00:31:43,600
I think there are some people
for whom this might not work,

621
00:31:43,633 --> 00:31:46,033
but I think
there are a lot of people

622
00:31:46,066 --> 00:31:48,966
for whom this can be beneficial.

623
00:31:50,466 --> 00:31:53,633
NARRATOR:
But now American patients
could be on their way

624
00:31:53,666 --> 00:31:57,100
to having access toCuban cancer treatments legally.

625
00:31:57,133 --> 00:31:58,333
 
(phone ringing)

626
00:31:58,366 --> 00:32:00,933
And it all started
with a cold call

627
00:32:00,966 --> 00:32:03,666
to Roswell Park
Comprehensive Cancer Center

628
00:32:03,700 --> 00:32:05,233
in Buffalo, New York.

629
00:32:05,266 --> 00:32:06,966
(phone ringing)

630
00:32:09,033 --> 00:32:10,800
ODUNSI:
I was sitting in my office,

631
00:32:10,833 --> 00:32:12,966
and my secretary came
to me and said,

632
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,466
"There's a telephone call
for you

633
00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:18,066
from someone who is from Cuba."

634
00:32:18,100 --> 00:32:20,566
♪

635
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,000
When I picked up the phone,

636
00:32:22,033 --> 00:32:25,033
what she talked about
was the fact that

637
00:32:25,066 --> 00:32:28,833
they have some innovative
approaches in Cuba

638
00:32:28,866 --> 00:32:31,933
that she would like
to discuss with Roswell Park.

639
00:32:31,966 --> 00:32:35,500
I have to tell you, myinitial response was skeptical.

640
00:32:35,533 --> 00:32:36,800
 
♪

641
00:32:36,833 --> 00:32:38,966
(pencil scratching)

642
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:43,066
So, my first question is,
"Why are you talking to us?

643
00:32:43,100 --> 00:32:45,766
And she talked
about the fact that

644
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,600
this is one of
the few institutions

645
00:32:47,633 --> 00:32:51,866
in the United States
where the discoveries in Cuba

646
00:32:51,900 --> 00:32:53,433
could be taken to the next level

647
00:32:53,466 --> 00:32:56,866
and make sure it benefits
a wide range of patients,

648
00:32:56,900 --> 00:32:59,833
not only in Cuba
but across the world.

649
00:32:59,866 --> 00:33:02,100
♪
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

650
00:32:59,866 --> 00:33:02,100
♪

651
00:33:02,133 --> 00:33:03,333
NARRATOR:
Eventually, the researcher

652
00:33:03,366 --> 00:33:05,400
from Cuba's Center
of Molecular Immunology,

653
00:33:05,433 --> 00:33:07,733
or C.I.M.,

654
00:33:07,766 --> 00:33:09,566
is invited to make
a presentation

655
00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:12,866
on the lung cancer vaccine
CIMAvax-EGF,

656
00:33:12,900 --> 00:33:16,900
the same vaccine that
Marta Reymo has been taking.

657
00:33:16,933 --> 00:33:19,833
♪

658
00:33:19,866 --> 00:33:23,533
It is a standing room only
event.

659
00:33:23,566 --> 00:33:26,433
Well, I think, scientists,
we're all a little crazy.

660
00:33:26,466 --> 00:33:28,966
And so we all...
we all want to, uh,

661
00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,900
hear something
really interesting.

662
00:33:31,933 --> 00:33:36,733
It sparked curiosity
of how it came to be.

663
00:33:36,766 --> 00:33:40,800
And so, that was what
I recall from it, is, "Wow.

664
00:33:40,833 --> 00:33:43,233
In Cuba, jeez."

665
00:33:43,266 --> 00:33:48,700
NARRATOR:
Cancer vaccines are already in
development around the world,

666
00:33:48,733 --> 00:33:52,033
but what surprises
Roswell Park researchers is

667
00:33:52,066 --> 00:33:55,700
the science that
makes this vaccine work.

668
00:33:55,733 --> 00:33:58,300
They had thrown out
the first chapter

669
00:33:58,333 --> 00:34:01,000
of any basic immunology textbook

670
00:34:01,033 --> 00:34:04,400
to actually accomplish
the science.

671
00:34:04,433 --> 00:34:09,166
NARRATOR:
Cuban scientists claim to havefound a new way to fight cancer

672
00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:11,800
by first getting
the immune system

673
00:34:11,833 --> 00:34:15,866
to do something
it's never supposed to do:

674
00:34:15,900 --> 00:34:19,300
attack a healthy human protein.

675
00:34:19,333 --> 00:34:21,733
♪

676
00:34:21,766 --> 00:34:27,700
The research Cuba presents atRoswell Park goes back to 1981.

677
00:34:27,733 --> 00:34:31,533
A young scientist
named Rolando Pérez

678
00:34:31,566 --> 00:34:35,433
is investigatingepidermal growth factor, or EGF.

679
00:34:35,466 --> 00:34:39,000
It's a natural protein
in the body

680
00:34:39,033 --> 00:34:42,366
that tells cells to multiply.

681
00:34:44,066 --> 00:34:47,366
Pérez is one of many
scientists around the world

682
00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:52,666
trying to understand the role
EGF might play in cancer.

683
00:34:52,700 --> 00:34:56,800
PEÉREZ:
(speaking Spanish)

684
00:34:56,833 --> 00:35:00,200
(translated):
We wanted to know
whether human breast tumors

685
00:35:00,233 --> 00:35:03,233
were dependent on EGF
for their growth.

686
00:35:03,266 --> 00:35:08,733
(speaking Spanish)

687
00:35:08,766 --> 00:35:13,733
What we found was ahigh expression of EGF receptors

688
00:35:13,766 --> 00:35:16,800
in about 50% of tumors.

689
00:35:18,166 --> 00:35:20,666
NARRATOR:A receptor is a protein molecule

690
00:35:20,700 --> 00:35:23,400
 
on the cell's outer surface.

691
00:35:23,433 --> 00:35:25,366
When an EGF protein connects

692
00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,533
with an EGF receptor
on the cell's surface,

693
00:35:28,566 --> 00:35:32,133
the protein sends a signal
to grow and multiply.

694
00:35:33,133 --> 00:35:35,800
PEÉREZ:
(speaking Spanish)

695
00:35:35,833 --> 00:35:39,533
It was really a surprise
to find that there were tumors

696
00:35:39,566 --> 00:35:43,133
which had a high dependence
on EGF.

697
00:35:44,666 --> 00:35:46,233
NARRATOR:
At Roswell Park,

698
00:35:46,266 --> 00:35:48,433
researchers show
how live cancer cells

699
00:35:48,466 --> 00:35:53,033
use EGF to grow into the
beginnings of a tumor mass.

700
00:35:53,066 --> 00:35:55,600
♪

701
00:35:55,633 --> 00:35:59,433
LEE:
In the culture that has
epidermal growth factor,

702
00:35:59,466 --> 00:36:03,033
you can see a layer
of lung cancer cells
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

703
00:35:59,466 --> 00:36:03,033
you can see a layer
of lung cancer cells

704
00:36:03,066 --> 00:36:05,966
that over time are
dividing and growing

705
00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:08,733
and getting bigger and bigger.

706
00:36:08,766 --> 00:36:11,700
In the culture that
has the lung cancer cells

707
00:36:11,733 --> 00:36:14,000
but has been depleted of EGF,

708
00:36:14,033 --> 00:36:16,033
you can see that
the lung cancer cells

709
00:36:16,066 --> 00:36:17,833
have in fact stopped growing.

710
00:36:17,866 --> 00:36:20,166
♪

711
00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,500
NARRATOR:
Pérez's research points out

712
00:36:22,533 --> 00:36:26,166
some tumor cells have
thousands more EGF receptors

713
00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:28,100
than healthy cells.

714
00:36:28,133 --> 00:36:32,566
♪

715
00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:35,333
To prevent cancer
from using EGF to grow,

716
00:36:35,366 --> 00:36:38,733
the Cubans came up
with a novel idea:

717
00:36:38,766 --> 00:36:43,633
starve the tumor by removing EGF
from the equation.

718
00:36:43,666 --> 00:36:48,233
To do this, they would have to
vaccinate the body against EGF

719
00:36:48,266 --> 00:36:50,766
and convince the immune system

720
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,266
this normal human protein
is a threat.

721
00:36:54,300 --> 00:36:56,933
But it wouldn't be easy.

722
00:36:56,966 --> 00:37:01,233
If you vaccinate a human being
with human EGF,

723
00:37:01,266 --> 00:37:03,000
nothing happens,

724
00:37:03,033 --> 00:37:07,100
because the immune system
interprets that this is self.

725
00:37:08,866 --> 00:37:11,533
NARRATOR:
A typical vaccine
includes a weakened dose

726
00:37:11,566 --> 00:37:14,733
of the virus or bacteria
being targeted.

727
00:37:14,766 --> 00:37:17,833
Once it's injected
into the body,

728
00:37:17,866 --> 00:37:20,433
the immune system
produces antibodies

729
00:37:20,466 --> 00:37:21,966
that attach to the invader

730
00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:26,633
and attract other immune cells
to destroy it.

731
00:37:26,666 --> 00:37:30,833
Memory cells remember it
in case it comes back again.

732
00:37:32,366 --> 00:37:36,333
To get the body to recognize EGF
as a threat,

733
00:37:36,366 --> 00:37:38,466
Cuban scientists attached
a protein

734
00:37:38,500 --> 00:37:44,066
from the meningitis bacteria
to the EGF protein.

735
00:37:44,100 --> 00:37:50,200
So, then the invention was
to link human EGF

736
00:37:50,233 --> 00:37:54,000
with a protein that is coming
from a bacteria,

737
00:37:54,033 --> 00:37:55,900
from the meningitis bacteria,
by the way.

738
00:37:55,933 --> 00:37:58,566
And as the bacteria protein
is there,

739
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,233
then the immune system
interpret,

740
00:38:00,266 --> 00:38:01,866
"This is non-self
and dangerous."

741
00:38:01,900 --> 00:38:05,400
NARRATOR:The attached bacterial molecule

742
00:38:05,433 --> 00:38:09,900
causes the immune system
to see all EGF as a threat.

743
00:38:09,933 --> 00:38:15,066
Antibodies signal immune cells
to eliminate the EGF.

744
00:38:15,100 --> 00:38:17,900
The idea is to starve
lung cancer cells

745
00:38:17,933 --> 00:38:21,066
of something
they depend on to multiply

746
00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:26,833
but leave enough EGF in the bodyfor ordinary cells to function.

747
00:38:26,866 --> 00:38:30,133
As it turns out,
CIMAvax is most effective

748
00:38:30,166 --> 00:38:32,500
for lung cancer patients
like Marta,

749
00:38:32,533 --> 00:38:36,866
who already have high levels
of EGF in their blood.

750
00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:40,466
You are making a trick
to the immune system, no?

751
00:38:40,500 --> 00:38:42,033
You trick the immune system,

752
00:38:42,066 --> 00:38:46,400
because you present something
self as if it were non-self.

753
00:38:47,666 --> 00:38:49,233
NARRATOR:
When Roswell Park researchers

754
00:38:49,266 --> 00:38:51,733
learn the science
behind CIMAvax,

755
00:38:51,766 --> 00:38:54,900
many are convinced
it could be a game-changer.

756
00:38:56,433 --> 00:38:59,733
They urge president and C.E.O.
Candace Johnson

757
00:38:59,766 --> 00:39:03,800
to consider the possibility
of a partnership.
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

758
00:38:59,766 --> 00:39:03,800
to consider the possibility
of a partnership.

759
00:39:03,833 --> 00:39:05,466
It was really
a couple of individuals

760
00:39:05,500 --> 00:39:08,100
that decided
to really press this.

761
00:39:08,133 --> 00:39:11,133
"And let's,
let's see what we can do.

762
00:39:11,166 --> 00:39:13,633
"Let's reach out to these folks
in Havana

763
00:39:13,666 --> 00:39:17,100
and see if we can establish somesort of relationship with them."

764
00:39:18,666 --> 00:39:20,233
NARRATOR:
Then, in 2014...

765
00:39:20,266 --> 00:39:21,166
Good afternoon.

766
00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:22,700
NARRATOR:
History opens a door.

767
00:39:22,733 --> 00:39:24,500
Today, the United States
of America

768
00:39:24,533 --> 00:39:27,900
is changing its relationship
with the people of Cuba.

769
00:39:27,933 --> 00:39:32,400
NARRATOR:
President Obama beginsnormalizing relations with Cuba.

770
00:39:32,433 --> 00:39:35,233
And New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo

771
00:39:35,266 --> 00:39:38,633
leads a trade delegation
to Havana.

772
00:39:38,666 --> 00:39:41,366
JOHNSON:
So, the governor wanted
to take a group of leaders

773
00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:44,200
from around the state,
and he chose me.

774
00:39:44,233 --> 00:39:48,600
I could bring one person,
and I took Dr. Lee.

775
00:39:48,633 --> 00:39:51,733
So here we all go into Cuba,
we're only there for 36 hours.

776
00:39:51,766 --> 00:39:55,266
And Dr. Lee and I decided

777
00:39:55,300 --> 00:39:58,566
that this was an opportunity
to really do this.

778
00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:03,333
NARRATOR:Roswell Park scientists believe
Cuba's CIMAvax could add

779
00:40:03,366 --> 00:40:06,933
to the arsenal of weapons
available for cancer patients.

780
00:40:06,966 --> 00:40:11,466
The Cubans hope for access toresearch data from Roswell Park

781
00:40:11,500 --> 00:40:17,233
and even technologies that couldimprove their immunology drugs.

782
00:40:17,266 --> 00:40:19,733
ERNESTO CHICO:
We have limited resources,

783
00:40:19,766 --> 00:40:22,300
because of... we are
in a poor country.

784
00:40:22,333 --> 00:40:23,833
We have also limited resources,

785
00:40:23,866 --> 00:40:29,000
because the best and
the most efficient technology

786
00:40:29,033 --> 00:40:30,600
are usually coming
from the U.S.,

787
00:40:30,633 --> 00:40:34,600
and we don't have
access to that.

788
00:40:34,633 --> 00:40:38,966
NARRATOR:
One example is this
American-made flow cytometer.

789
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,833
It suspends samples in a fluid

790
00:40:41,866 --> 00:40:44,000
and whisks them
through multiple lasers,

791
00:40:44,033 --> 00:40:46,433
one cell at a time.

792
00:40:46,466 --> 00:40:48,966
Tens of thousands
of cells' characteristics

793
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,400
are rapidly analyzed.

794
00:40:51,433 --> 00:40:53,600
In the U.S.,
the device is standard

795
00:40:53,633 --> 00:40:57,000
for advanced research
and clinical trials.

796
00:40:57,033 --> 00:40:58,433
So, in this case,

797
00:40:58,466 --> 00:41:01,066
we're measuring the T-cells
in the patient's blood

798
00:41:01,100 --> 00:41:02,900
in order to determine what
type of T-cells are present.

799
00:41:02,933 --> 00:41:06,233
NARRATOR:
One department at Roswell Park
has over 20

800
00:41:06,266 --> 00:41:07,966
of these expensive machines.

801
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:10,433
The data they could yield
for Cuban research

802
00:41:10,466 --> 00:41:11,866
would be invaluable.

803
00:41:11,900 --> 00:41:15,700
There are only two
such devices at C.I.M.

804
00:41:15,733 --> 00:41:17,900
One is broken.

805
00:41:17,933 --> 00:41:23,333
So, we had this equipment
broke for one year,

806
00:41:23,366 --> 00:41:27,200
because we had to send
the equipment to Germany.

807
00:41:27,233 --> 00:41:30,866
If this equipment has
more than ten percent

808
00:41:30,900 --> 00:41:33,666
of the American component,
we can't buy.

809
00:41:33,700 --> 00:41:35,966
♪

810
00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,466
NARRATOR:
Despite these limitations,

811
00:41:37,500 --> 00:41:40,533
Cuban science makes
important strides,

812
00:41:40,566 --> 00:41:44,166
even as American discoveries
in immunology treatment

813
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:46,600
continue to lead the world.

814
00:41:46,633 --> 00:41:50,666
For Roswell Park,
a partnership with Cuba

815
00:41:50,700 --> 00:41:54,166
could allow them to combine
C.I.M.'s cancer vaccine

816
00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:57,466
with immunotherapy treatments
already available,

817
00:41:57,500 --> 00:41:59,966
like checkpoint inhibitors.

818
00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:01,366
What we're realizing now is that
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

819
00:42:00,000 --> 00:42:01,366
What we're realizing now is that

820
00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:03,933
you have to combine
immunotherapy agents.

821
00:42:03,966 --> 00:42:06,933
So, we're seeing studies
that are testing vaccine

822
00:42:06,966 --> 00:42:09,066
with immune checkpoint agents.

823
00:42:09,100 --> 00:42:12,133
NARRATOR:
At Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer
Center in Baltimore,

824
00:42:12,166 --> 00:42:14,666
Bruce Toma is being treated

825
00:42:14,700 --> 00:42:16,966
for stage IV pancreatic cancer.

826
00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,333
One more.

827
00:42:18,366 --> 00:42:20,333
NARRATOR:
He's participating
in a clinical trial

828
00:42:20,366 --> 00:42:22,600
combining checkpoint inhibitors

829
00:42:22,633 --> 00:42:24,933
with a cancer vaccine developed

830
00:42:24,966 --> 00:42:26,766
by Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee.

831
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:28,333
TOMA:This is how goodyour work has done.

832
00:42:28,366 --> 00:42:30,400
Nobody can believe...It's, it's so exciting.

833
00:42:30,433 --> 00:42:33,233
 
...that I'm stage IVmetastasized pancreatic cancer.

834
00:42:33,266 --> 00:42:35,733
JAFFEE:
I don't know how much
of your scans you've seen.

835
00:42:35,766 --> 00:42:37,800
First one.The first one.

836
00:42:37,833 --> 00:42:39,666
So what we're reallyexcited about

837
00:42:39,700 --> 00:42:42,266
 
is that you had
all of this tumor here

838
00:42:42,300 --> 00:42:44,233
at the peritoneum.
Mm-hmm.

839
00:42:44,266 --> 00:42:46,066
JAFFEE:
Your most recent scan,
there's nothing there.

840
00:42:46,100 --> 00:42:47,300
We can't detect it.

841
00:42:47,333 --> 00:42:48,500
It's totally gone.

842
00:42:48,533 --> 00:42:50,866
Oh wow, yes,
I can see the difference.

843
00:42:50,900 --> 00:42:54,100
NARRATOR:
Immunotherapies are
incredibly expensive.

844
00:42:54,133 --> 00:42:57,566
And not everyone has
the same success as Bruce.

845
00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,566
And we don't know why.

846
00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:02,966
ZAFAR:
If we can understand

847
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,133
why certain patients do benefit
from immunotherapy

848
00:43:06,166 --> 00:43:08,966
while others don't benefit
from treatment,

849
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:12,766
we can make great leaps forward
in our cancer treatment.

850
00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:14,966
Anything else going on?
Any headaches...

851
00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:16,933
NARRATOR:
But for now, many patients--

852
00:43:16,966 --> 00:43:19,066
no matter what therapies
they are receiving--

853
00:43:19,100 --> 00:43:20,733
will likely reach a point

854
00:43:20,766 --> 00:43:23,733
when they run out
of treatment options.

855
00:43:24,833 --> 00:43:26,933
ZAFAR:
As their cancer grows,

856
00:43:26,966 --> 00:43:30,600
and the treatment
that I'm giving them fails,

857
00:43:30,633 --> 00:43:36,266
I become anxious,
because with every step,

858
00:43:36,300 --> 00:43:39,633
their options become
more and more limited.

859
00:43:39,666 --> 00:43:41,266
Mum, she took the scissors,

860
00:43:41,300 --> 00:43:43,766
and she started just
chopping off her own hair.

861
00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:45,000
I'll never forget it.

862
00:43:45,033 --> 00:43:48,500
My sister and I just stood there
just awestruck.

863
00:43:48,533 --> 00:43:50,233
It was a very
emotional experience.

864
00:43:50,266 --> 00:43:53,100
And Kathy was willing
to try anything.

865
00:43:53,133 --> 00:43:54,800
And it was tough on her
when they, when they said,

866
00:43:54,833 --> 00:43:56,533
"That's it,
there-there is no more,

867
00:43:56,566 --> 00:43:59,066
and treatment would
only make you worse."

868
00:43:59,100 --> 00:44:02,400
But Kathy held the doctor's hand
and said, "I understand."

869
00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:10,566
They say usually
it's three years, the time.

870
00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:14,133
I'm exactly at third year.

871
00:44:14,166 --> 00:44:18,100
The doctor said
I have one more year to live.

872
00:44:20,133 --> 00:44:24,633
(waves crashing)

873
00:44:24,666 --> 00:44:27,166
(birds chirping)

874
00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:30,633
ANABELY GARCIA:
It's no pain,
because the needle is so thin.

875
00:44:30,666 --> 00:44:32,466
No, I see, mm-hmm.
Mosquito.

876
00:44:32,500 --> 00:44:34,166
Yeah.

877
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:35,933
NARRATOR:
At La Pradera,

878
00:44:35,966 --> 00:44:39,366
oncologists administer
George's Vaxira prescription.

879
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:43,366
♪

880
00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:44,566
Okay.

881
00:44:44,600 --> 00:44:46,866
NARRATOR:George's doctor and close friend

882
00:44:46,900 --> 00:44:51,300
Dr. William Blanchet is
in Havana to lend support.

883
00:44:51,333 --> 00:44:52,566
The cancer was growing,

884
00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:56,033
the cancer markers were
getting bigger on this agent.

885
00:44:56,066 --> 00:44:57,866
His oncologist
increased the dosage;

886
00:44:57,900 --> 00:44:59,333
the cancer continued
to get bigger.

887
00:44:59,366 --> 00:45:03,833
We added the Vaxira,
and his cancer gets smaller.
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

888
00:44:59,366 --> 00:45:03,833
We added the Vaxira,
and his cancer gets smaller.

889
00:45:03,866 --> 00:45:06,966
And so, on the
three-year anniversary

890
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:08,866
of being diagnosed
with horrible

891
00:45:08,900 --> 00:45:10,300
stage IV lung cancer,

892
00:45:10,333 --> 00:45:15,666
this guy runs a ten-K run and
puts an offer down on a house.

893
00:45:15,700 --> 00:45:17,266
Those are things that people

894
00:45:17,300 --> 00:45:22,066
three years into stage IV
lung cancer tend not to do.

895
00:45:22,100 --> 00:45:24,200
NARRATOR:
But George is not cured.

896
00:45:24,233 --> 00:45:27,500
Cancer continues to be
a daily struggle.

897
00:45:27,533 --> 00:45:29,400
In addition to Vaxira,

898
00:45:29,433 --> 00:45:33,200
he's undergoing a number
of treatments in the U.S.

899
00:45:33,233 --> 00:45:36,233
Despite this, his doctors
recently discovered

900
00:45:36,266 --> 00:45:38,866
a new metastasis in his liver.

901
00:45:38,900 --> 00:45:39,966
KEAYS:
It's a hell of a thing

902
00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:41,233
to have to take a risk

903
00:45:41,266 --> 00:45:44,033
with, you know,
your-your wellbeing

904
00:45:44,066 --> 00:45:45,833
that you...
that somebody could say,

905
00:45:45,866 --> 00:45:46,966
"Well, you're breaking the law."

906
00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:51,866
♪

907
00:45:51,900 --> 00:45:54,833
NARRATOR:
But could Cuban drugs
like Vaxira

908
00:45:54,866 --> 00:45:57,666
become available in the U.S.?

909
00:45:57,700 --> 00:46:00,466
LAGE:
In science, cooperation
is everything.

910
00:46:00,500 --> 00:46:03,633
So if you are isolated,
you are dead in science.

911
00:46:03,666 --> 00:46:07,700
LEE:
Our legal department saying,
"How are we going to do this?

912
00:46:07,733 --> 00:46:09,433
Is this going to be worth it?"

913
00:46:09,466 --> 00:46:12,200
And I said, "If there's
a two-percent chance

914
00:46:12,233 --> 00:46:15,066
that the science is right,
we need to be there."

915
00:46:15,100 --> 00:46:18,000
♪

916
00:46:18,033 --> 00:46:22,933
NARRATOR:
Cuba and Roswell Park come
to an agreement to cooperate.

917
00:46:22,966 --> 00:46:27,833
In 2016, CIMAvax becomes
the first Cuban drug ever

918
00:46:27,866 --> 00:46:31,566
approved by the FDA
for clinical trial in the U.S.

919
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:33,866
At Roswell Park,

920
00:46:33,900 --> 00:46:38,566
it's being combined with acheckpoint inhibitor, nivolumab,

921
00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:41,666
that could make CIMAvax
even more effective.

922
00:46:41,700 --> 00:46:44,566
And the flip side is
the way CIMAvax works,

923
00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:48,566
it may make nivolumab
work better as well.

924
00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:52,166
Think of it like, can
one plus one equal to five?

925
00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:55,433
So that's the ultimate
goal of testing.

926
00:46:57,266 --> 00:47:00,033
NARRATOR:
Two years later, Cuba's Center
of Molecular Immunology

927
00:47:00,066 --> 00:47:04,200
and Roswell Park double down
on their partnership

928
00:47:04,233 --> 00:47:06,600
and make history again.

929
00:47:06,633 --> 00:47:08,066
REPORTER:
The president and
C.E.O. of Roswell Park

930
00:47:08,100 --> 00:47:10,933
announced the first-ever
biotech joint venture

931
00:47:10,966 --> 00:47:13,033
between the United States
and Cuba.

932
00:47:13,066 --> 00:47:15,200
We did it!
(applause)

933
00:47:16,633 --> 00:47:20,100
NARRATOR:
The two agree to build
a new biotech facility in Cuba

934
00:47:20,133 --> 00:47:22,300
dedicated to cancer drugs,

935
00:47:22,333 --> 00:47:26,166
jointly owned by
Roswell Park and C.I.M.

936
00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:29,166
CHICO:
Eventually, we will
build factories.

937
00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:30,533
And at some point of time

938
00:47:30,566 --> 00:47:33,433
we will reachthe medical community

939
00:47:33,466 --> 00:47:34,933
in Cuba and the U.S.

940
00:47:34,966 --> 00:47:36,766
with new medicinesfor the people.

941
00:47:38,466 --> 00:47:42,066
NARRATOR:The embargo will continue to be
one of the biggest challenges

942
00:47:42,100 --> 00:47:46,366
for the Roswell Park-C.I.M.
research partnership.

943
00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:51,133
Even after the FDA approved
clinical trials in 2016,

944
00:47:51,166 --> 00:47:55,033
Roswell Park worried the embargowould make it almost impossible

945
00:47:55,066 --> 00:47:58,866
to ship CIMAvax safely
from Havana to Buffalo.

946
00:47:58,900 --> 00:48:02,466
So they tried
a test run with water
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

947
00:47:58,900 --> 00:48:02,466
So they tried
a test run with water

948
00:48:02,500 --> 00:48:04,933
in a temperature-controlled box.

949
00:48:04,966 --> 00:48:07,900
♪

950
00:48:07,933 --> 00:48:11,400
LEE:
It actually got from
Havana to Canadian customs;

951
00:48:11,433 --> 00:48:13,033
and the FDA was expecting it,

952
00:48:13,066 --> 00:48:14,600
because we told them there
it would come.

953
00:48:14,633 --> 00:48:15,866
Got to U.S. customs.

954
00:48:15,900 --> 00:48:18,700
Apparently, if you're
on the embargo list

955
00:48:18,733 --> 00:48:19,933
in the United States,

956
00:48:19,966 --> 00:48:22,800
your country is not
in the electronic database.

957
00:48:22,833 --> 00:48:25,500
So, the box went back to Canada

958
00:48:25,533 --> 00:48:28,600
and sat there
for, I think, two days.

959
00:48:28,633 --> 00:48:32,466
So the box is good for holding
temperature for 72 hours.

960
00:48:33,766 --> 00:48:37,500
NARRATOR:
Nearly 200 hours after
being packaged in Cuba,

961
00:48:37,533 --> 00:48:39,933
the box arrived in Buffalo.

962
00:48:39,966 --> 00:48:43,566
The real vaccine
would have been destroyed.

963
00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:48,766
♪

964
00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:52,366
These kinds of challenges
are critical to overcome

965
00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:54,333
for the research partnership
to succeed.

966
00:48:54,366 --> 00:48:58,733
Both sides are convinced
it's worth it.

967
00:48:58,766 --> 00:49:00,000
...let's come tobrain tumors,

968
00:49:00,033 --> 00:49:03,300
where the data thatwe have is pretty good.

969
00:49:03,333 --> 00:49:05,166
LEE:
Then there is nothing
in the United States...

970
00:49:05,200 --> 00:49:09,266
REID:It's a precedent-setting event.

971
00:49:09,300 --> 00:49:11,300
You know, these are
American scientists

972
00:49:11,333 --> 00:49:16,066
working so closely
with Cuban scientists.

973
00:49:16,100 --> 00:49:21,400
They are presenting us
with very novel drugs.

974
00:49:21,433 --> 00:49:25,866
CIMAvax has the potential
to work as a vaccine

975
00:49:25,900 --> 00:49:28,366
to prevent
lung-cancer formation,

976
00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:33,300
and that has a substantial
public-health implication.

977
00:49:34,700 --> 00:49:37,500
LAGE:
I hope, I really hope,

978
00:49:37,533 --> 00:49:39,800
that this won't be stopped

979
00:49:39,833 --> 00:49:42,533
because this is
cancer treatment,

980
00:49:42,566 --> 00:49:46,466
and these are American citizens
being treated

981
00:49:46,500 --> 00:49:51,400
by cancer vaccines manufactured
here in this small country.

982
00:49:53,366 --> 00:49:57,066
NARRATOR:Even as political tensions rise
between their two countries,

983
00:49:57,100 --> 00:50:00,433
Cuban and American scientists
continue on

984
00:50:00,466 --> 00:50:02,966
in the hopes of
improving cancer treatment

985
00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:06,333
and one day finding a cure.

986
00:50:06,366 --> 00:50:08,233
(people talking in background)

987
00:50:08,266 --> 00:50:11,933
LEE:
If we work together

988
00:50:11,966 --> 00:50:15,800
to raise the quality of the life
of our peoples,

989
00:50:15,833 --> 00:50:17,333
that will bring us together.

990
00:50:17,366 --> 00:50:19,900
Science is going to move
relationships forward.

991
00:50:19,933 --> 00:50:25,833
The promise of lifting theburden of cancer in all peoples

992
00:50:25,866 --> 00:50:27,733
is going to move
the relationship forward.

993
00:50:29,466 --> 00:50:32,333
I'm handling it,
and I want to keep going

994
00:50:32,366 --> 00:50:34,200
because I have things
that I want to do,

995
00:50:34,233 --> 00:50:36,166
I have things I want to see.

996
00:50:36,200 --> 00:50:41,666
I have things I want to...
complete with my children.

997
00:50:41,700 --> 00:50:44,333
I'm so lucky that I see things,

998
00:50:44,366 --> 00:50:47,033
that I feel things on my skin,

999
00:50:47,066 --> 00:50:50,900
and I don't want to lose it.

1000
00:50:50,933 --> 00:50:54,400
I want to live
my life the fullest.

1001
00:50:56,366 --> 00:50:57,866
(birds chirping)

1002
00:50:57,900 --> 00:50:59,433
KEAYS:
If I can't walk,

1003
00:50:59,466 --> 00:51:00,733
I'll be on my knees.

1004
00:51:00,766 --> 00:51:03,333
If I can't be on my knees,
I'll crawl.
WEBVTT
X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000

1005
00:51:00,766 --> 00:51:03,333
If I can't be on my knees,
I'll crawl.

1006
00:51:03,366 --> 00:51:05,633
But I'll continually
try to get back up.

1007
00:51:05,666 --> 00:51:08,033
And that will be my life.

1008
00:51:08,066 --> 00:51:09,733
GARCIA:
How do you feel today?

1009
00:51:09,766 --> 00:51:12,166
Very good, very good.
Very good?

1010
00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:13,700
No pain.
Okay.

1011
00:51:13,733 --> 00:51:14,800
No pain.

1012
00:51:14,833 --> 00:51:15,866
NARRATOR:
Before going home,

1013
00:51:15,900 --> 00:51:17,033
George meets once more

1014
00:51:17,066 --> 00:51:18,866
with Dr. Anabely Garcia,

1015
00:51:18,900 --> 00:51:22,033
chief of his
Havana medical team.

1016
00:51:22,066 --> 00:51:26,600
GARCIA:
And, here, we put in
the date that you receive.

1017
00:51:26,633 --> 00:51:31,833
You have vaccines
until August, okay?

1018
00:51:31,866 --> 00:51:36,433
Yes, that's right.
We wait for you
next May or June.

1019
00:51:38,600 --> 00:51:39,933
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

1020
00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:42,700
Don't cry.

1021
00:51:42,733 --> 00:51:43,900
Thank you.

1022
00:51:44,333 --> 00:51:47,933
♪

1023
00:51:47,966 --> 00:51:49,333
I'll see you again in May.

1024
00:51:49,366 --> 00:51:50,800
Yes, of course.

1025
00:51:53,466 --> 00:51:54,866
BLANCHET:Hasta luego.

1026
00:51:56,366 --> 00:51:57,900
♪

1027
00:51:57,933 --> 00:52:02,666
KEAYS:
One of the things you learn
is to live in the moment.

1028
00:52:02,700 --> 00:52:05,433
I may not be here in six months,
I-I don't know.

1029
00:52:07,100 --> 00:52:13,200
♪

1030
00:52:27,033 --> 00:52:29,600
Major funding for "NOVA"
is provided by the following:

1031
00:52:46,666 --> 00:52:51,000
♪

1032
00:53:02,166 --> 00:53:04,266
To order this program on DVD,

1033
00:53:04,300 --> 00:53:09,366
visit ShopPBS
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

1034
00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:12,333
Episodes of "NOVA" are available
with Passport.

1035
00:53:12,366 --> 00:53:16,466
"NOVA" is also available
on Amazon Prime Video.

1036
00:53:16,500 --> 00:53:20,300
♪

1037
00:53:29,133 --> 00:53:31,066
♪