Hyderabad: Israeli defence ministry on Monday said that the country's biological research institute has completed the development phase of the COVID-19 antibody, reported The Jerusalem Post.
Israel's Institute for Biological Research on Monday revealed a breakthrough antibody that attacks the virus and neutralises it in the body.
On Monday, Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett visited the institute and said, "I am proud of the Biological Institute staff, who have made a major breakthrough. Jewish creativity and ingenuity brought about this amazing achievement."
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The institute is now ready to patent its antibody and secure a contract for its commercial development, said The Jerusalem Post.
About 100 research groups are pursuing vaccines, with nearly a dozen in the early stages of human trials or poised to start. But so far there’s no way to predict which — if any — vaccine will work safely, or even to name a front-runner.
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Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top expert, has cautioned that even if everything goes perfectly, developing a vaccine in 12 to 18 months would set a record for speed.
Even if the first useful vaccine is identified, there won’t be enough for everyone initially. A growing number of vaccine makers said that they’re already starting to brew tons of doses — wasting millions of dollars if they bet on the wrong candidate but shaving a few months off mass vaccinations if their choice pans out.
