We are yet to discover a cure that can stop people from dying. All the countries are currently in a race to find a vaccine that can cure the corona affected person. While all other countries are yet to discover that one vaccine, Israel seems to be the first one to crack it.  

Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett has said that scientists at the country’s main biological research institute have made a “significant breakthrough” in developing an antibody to the novel coronavirus, as the researchers wrapped up the development phase and moved to patent and mass produce the potential treatment.  

Bennett visited the labs of the Israel’s Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), supervised by the Prime Minister’s Office and mandated to develop a vaccine for coronavirus, in Ness Ziona on Monday and was shown the antibody that attacks the virus in a monoclonal way and could neutralize it within the bodies of those ill by identifying a protein that is efficient in killing the virus in a patient’s body.  

While the statement did not specify if the human trials of this antibody were conducted or not, what’s confirmed is that IIBR did conduct clinical trials to test the efficacy of this potential cure.  

In March, Israeli daily Ha’aretz, quoting medical sources, had reported that scientists at the institute had made a significant breakthrough in understanding the biological mechanism and qualities of the virus, including better diagnostic capability, production of antibodies for those who already have the virus and development of a vaccine.  

IIBR’s findings may not be without basis, a separate study, published on Monday in Nature Communications, by researchers at Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical Center and Harbour BioMed in The Netherlands, found that human monoclonal antibodies prevented SARS-Cov-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, from infecting other cells under laboratory conditions. 

Human monoclonal antibodies are antigen or pathogen recognising glycoproteins made by identical immune cells, all of which are clones of a unique parent cell.   

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the institute to devote resources to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 on February 1. 

The normal process of development of such a vaccine requires a long process of pre-clinical trials on animals, followed by clinical trials. This allows the scientists to assess the side effects and gives a better understanding of how the vaccine affects different people. 

Five shipments of virus samples arrived in Israel from Japan, Italy and other countries, news portal Ynet reported in February. They were brought by a specially secured Defence Ministry courier to IIBR and had been frozen at -80 degrees Celsius. 

There has been intensive work, including by leading experts, to develop the vaccine since then. Experts believe that the length of time needed to develop a vaccine runs from a few months to a year and a half. 

Numerous research teams all over the world are participating in the race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. Many of them at this point are focusing on the way the virus presents itself in animals, with the biggest hurdle being the way it morphs when it moves from animals to human beings. Amidst this, this turns out to be a game changer in the race to find a cure for Covid-19.