Defense Minister Benny Gantz was briefed on the progress made by the Biological Research Institute last week in developing a vaccine that could be tested in humans as early as October 21, Hebrew-language news outlet WallaNews reported on Sunday.
For the moment, the development of the vaccine is still awaiting the approval of the Helsinki Committee, a medical panel which "deals with research approval and human experiments," in order to carry out the highly anticipated trials.
The experiment scheme consists of three phases: the first will consist of evaluating the vaccine on a hundred healthy citizens between the ages of 18 and 50.
The second phase led by the Institute will take place in December and will again examine the safety and effectiveness of the product with a thousand volunteers.
If positive results are obtained, the researchers will move on to the third stage, which will include some 30,000 human volunteers and is expected to take place from January.
The Defense Minister was also briefed on the process of developing antibodies designed to obtain medical treatment for the coronavirus.
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Israel Institute for Biological Research Prof. Shmuel Shapira (R) holding an experimental vaccine and Defense Minister Benny Gantz
(Photo: Defense Ministry)
According to current research, Israel has not been unable to produce these antibodies on a commercial scale, and negotiations are therefore underway with a foreign company specializing in the field.
It is estimated that at least a thousand antibodies could be developed by the first quarter of 2021.