New Delhi, Jul 19 (IANS): A joint discovery in biomedical sciences by a Bangalore-based company Biocon Limited and Havana-based the Centre of Molecular Immunology (CIM) has won the Cuban Academy of Sciences award.

CIM and Biocon have succeeded in manufacturing biological therapeutic molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, under stringent regulatory standards and marketing them in India and other countries, said a Cuban embassy press release.

The joint research has led to the identification of a novel approach to control inflammation, which could help in tackling several autoimmune diseases, said the statement.

CIM-Biocon helped in the discovery of the role of a molecule on immune system cells, called CD6, in triggering inflammation and tissue destruction.

The investigation, started from fundamental research, including experimental animal studies and reached clinical trials in Cuba and India.

The academic award, granted to Cuba's Centre of Molecular Immunology (CIM), a cancer research institution, and Biocon Limited, a global biopharmaceutical company of Bangalore, India, has been granted for best results in scientific-technical research.

Instituted to recognise excellence in scientific research, the biomedical sciences section conferred its prize this year to the project entitled "Anti-CD6 immunotherapy controls inflammation associated to autoimmune diseases".