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When he was 13 years old, Gabriel Rabinovich (Córdoba, Argentina, 54 years old) received the book as a gift Cosmosby Carl Sagan. A phrase marked him forever: “Life is inextricably linked to science because he who does science has a better chance of surviving and transforming society.” Ten years after that gift that his sister gave him and having already received a degree in Chemical Sciences, Rabinovich made a transcendental discovery by revealing the function of galectins, a protein of the immune system that is key to understanding the development of tumors and autoimmune diseases and designing new therapies. and treatments that, after 30 years of research, are now closer to becoming a reality.
Months ago, the researcher and director of the Immunology laboratory of the Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine dependent on the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (Conicet), launched Galteca public-private biotechnology company that will develop drugs and therapies to treat cancer and other conditions, with clinical phase testing in humans beginning in 2026.
In an interview with América Futura, Rabinovich—who has just been awarded the Konex Brilliant Award and has published more than 300 papers and research—is excited that in the coming years treatments will be “more personalized,” and believes that their developments can be important so that millions of patients “have another chance.” Furthermore, he reflects on the present of science in Argentina, amid the threats from the new government of ultra Javier Milei about cuts in the areas of scientific and technological research and the privatization or closure of Conicet.
Ask. What is Galtec and what will it be used for?
Answer. It is a technology-based company created after 30 years of research in basic science. The function is to translate discoveries linked to galectins into drugs for cancer and autoimmune diseases. In 1993, we identified Galectin-1, a protein whose function we did not know and now we know that it has the ability to negatively regulate the immune response: when we are infected by a virus or a tumor grows, an army of lymphocytes is immediately generated so that the body can protect itself. defend, but at some point that army must return to normal. The protein returns the cells to normal, but with a double paradigm, because in some cases it is good and in other conditions it is bad.
Q. In what cases is it good and in which is it bad?
R. When it eliminates lymphocytes, it behaves like the “good guy” in the movie, so that the excess does not cause an autoimmune disease. In those cases, galectin-1 must be stimulated. But it is the “bad movie” in the case of tumors, since when they grow they create escape mechanisms for the immune system. Tumors increase the amount of this protein, which eliminates the lymphocyte and in this case it must be blocked.
After 30 doctoral theses, we set out to build technology that allows galectin-1 to be eliminated in cancer and stimulated in autoimmune diseases. For cancer, we created a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes it: when we inject it into animal models, the immune system immediately eliminates the tumor. In the other case, it eliminates the 'extra' lymphocytes and the system returns to normal.
Q. How was the discovery?
R. I was a biochemistry student, I had to do laboratory practices. I wanted immunology, it always fascinated me, but there was no more space and they sent me to study the chicken retina. I was gripped by a tremendous depression: I was a boy, I was 23 years old and I wanted to cure cancer. But thanks to that I met my mentor, Carlos Landa, who suggested I make antibodies for some proteins that are in the chicken retina. He taught me for a whole year and when he finished the course he gave me some souvenir antibodies. I gave them to my mother so she could keep them in the freezer from his house. When I finished my degree I was frustrated, I didn't get any scholarships, I wondered whether to continue doing science or not, until one day I remembered those antibodies and decided to purify them: when we put them on the lymphocytes, they died. I thought: 'Either I'm working badly or I'm discovering something.'
Q. What is the scope of your research?
R. In human cells from patients, galectin-1 eliminates T lymphocytes and the same thing happens in autoimmune diseases. We work with experimental models or with patient cells, through an ethics committee. We saw this paradigm that it can be blocked in cancer or increased in autoimmune diseases in almost all autoimmune diseases, in cancer, and it was also analyzed in other laboratories that began to investigate in other countries. This gave us strength to generate therapies, thus the monoclonal antibody and the Galectin-1 variant emerged, after 320 works. In 2010, we began to think about what we were doing and they proposed to me to create a technology-based company to create products that are tested in the clinical phase of patients and develop them so that they are approved as therapies.
Q. What is the process like until it becomes a drug that reaches the hands of a cancer patient?
R. We achieved the ideal antibody, which increases the immune response and blocks vascularization. We went out to look for investments and, although we have state support, we also receive funds from the White Lions investment group. The objective is to transform these technologies into pharmaceutical products, through Good Manufacturing Practices, to be able to present them to regulatory authorities such as the FDA (United States), EMA (Europe) or Anmat (Argentina). We think that in two and a half years we can be ready to carry out clinical phase 1 tests on patients.
Q. Could it be the definitive cure for cancer?
R. I wouldn't say 100 percent cure. Cancer is many diseases, some are already treatable and curable. But it is one more tool for patients. The first cancer we want to target is colorectal, there are 1,200,000 cases a year and it has grown a lot, especially among young people. Only 15% benefit from classical immunotherapy, there are 85 percent who do not, we want to raise the bar. It can be a set of therapies: conventional immunotherapy together with our development.
We do not think that this is going to save the world and there will be no need for more chemotherapy, the interesting thing is to increase possibilities, because the big problem with cancer therapies is that patients improve and at one point they become resistant to the therapy. In those cases we want to have another possibility, instead of having to tell a patient: “You are not going to have any more opportunities.”
Q. Will they be medicines with affordable prices?
R. The galectin-1 variant is cheaper, the monoclonal antibody is more expensive. We made an agreement with Conicet, which licenses the patents to be able to operate and raise funds. We return money to Conicet at different milestones. But we established a price agreement, so that at least in Argentina people can access prices that are not exorbitant.
Q. What will treatments against cancer and autoimmune diseases be like in the next decade?
R. More personalized, not for each patient, but for a specific group that can be profiled. Each tumor and each autoimmune disease depends on each patient and their microenvironment. We must identify the escape mechanisms of each tumor: not all enemies arrive with the same weapons. You must have an arsenal of molecules and tools that allow blocking. Precision medicine makes it possible to identify which patient will benefit from a therapy or whether it may be harmed.
![Gabriel Rabinovich and a researcher carry out tests with galectins.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/EkktndKa2kWf4bAHKtzRqSzK2Lk=/414x0/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/X3DJIZTUV5E3DBQSZG7Q7FNN54.jpg)
Q. Throughout his life he faced situations where family members or close friends had cancer. From that on, does he look at his research from a different perspective?
R. I live it with a lot of pride, but also with a lot of adrenaline, it is a challenge and a very big commitment. At one point it was a dream, now I think it is a moment of great responsibility and commitment. If I leave this world, I wouldn't want it to be before a patient receives the serum.
Q. How do you analyze the present of Argentine science, amid the change of Government and warnings that the new management will cut budgets in science and technology?
R. Many things that are said are impossible to achieve. Without basic science it is impossible to achieve a result that a private individual may be interested in. There must be a very great respect and consolidation of quality, rigorous, transformative science, to be able to work in different areas, just as with the public university. If you want to reduce spending, science is not the place, precisely because we are poor we should do more science.
Q. 30 years have passed since the discovery of Galectin-1. How do you imagine the next few years?
R. I am very sure that I want to bring this development to patients. I imagine a medicine with more therapeutic options, with more opportunities. I have collaborations in Spain thanks to the call of Josep Tabernero, director of Oncology at the Vall D'Hebron Hospital and the CaixaResearch Institute, to be able to advance in the clinical phases of this project and so that they can be carried out jointly between Argentina and Spain. Sometimes I think that I didn't choose Galectina, that she chose me. The moment I see that the treatment works, improves quality of life and means a substantial change, I will undoubtedly be very excited.
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