Israeli research team gets a step closer to developing a Covid-19 vaccine

The Israel Institute for Biological Research has completed the development phase of Covid-19 antibody

As researchers and medical labs are stepping up their efforts to find a cure for Covid-19, the Isreal Defence Ministry said in a statement that the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has completed the development phase of coronavirus antibody or passive vaccine, reports The Jerusalem Post.

The Israeli defence minister was briefed by the research team, who told that this antibody attacks the virus and neutralises it in the body. The institute is now preparing to get a patent for the antibody and contract for its commercial development. The defence ministry of Israel will coordinate this with the IIBR.

“I am proud of the Biological Institute staff, who have made a major breakthrough,” Defence Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday. “The Jewish creativity and ingenuity brought about this amazing achievement.”

Last month, IIBR told that it had begun testing the antibody-based vaccine prototype on rodents. The institute is also involved in plasma collection from people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus infection, hoping that this might help research.

A second Israeli research team, MigVax, has also reported that it is close to completing the first phase of development of a coronavirus vaccine. Last week, it secured a $12 million investment from OurCrowd to accelerate the path to clinical trials.

Israel has tested over 404,000 samples in the country and 16,246 came out positive. The country has reported 235 deaths till now.