ISRAELI SCIENTISTS ISOLATE COVID-19 ANTIBODY

The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has isolated a key COVID-19 antibody that battered the virus in laboratory tests, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said, adding that this is a “significant breakthrough” toward a possible treatment for the deadly virus.

In an article written by Abigal Klein Leichman for the ISRAEL21c newsletter, researchers said that after the monoclonal neutralizing antibody is patented, IIBR will seek an international manufacturer to mass produce it as a treatment.

In coordination with Magen David Adom, IIBR has collected blood plasma from Israelis who recovered from the virus, with IIBR Director Shmuel Shapira saying the antibody they isolated is monoclonal, which means it comes from a single cell and is potentially more effective at neutralizing the virus than are polyclonal antibodies derived from two or more cells.

The IIBR is working with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot on strategies to battle the coronavirus pandemic and is collaborating with three Israeli companies in developing a vaccine. Furthermore, it is collaborating with Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center on a new method to detect the virus through breath analysis. #COVID19