The Israel Institute for Biological Research announced on Sunday that it would launch a human trial of its coronavirus vaccine, Brilif, next week. The vaccine has received all the necessary approvals for medical experiments on humans by the Ministry of Health and the Helsinki Committee. “This is a day of hope for the citizens of Israel,” said Defense Minister Benny Gantez. “Just two months ago, I got the first bottle of vaccine. Today we have 25,000 vaccine doses. “I thank the dozens of researchers who have worked day and night on this national mission,” he said. “In this critical time, you are the unit that paves the way for the citizens of Israel.” “This is an important and crucial stage in the development of the vaccine,” said Prof. Shiul Shapira, director of IIBR. “I am confident that our vaccine,” he said. The 1st human trial will last several months and will be conducted on 80 health volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 at Tel Hashem and Sheba Medical Center in Jerusalem, Hadasah-University Medical Center. , Others will gradually receive the vaccine candidate – 40 people at each medical center. Each volunteer will receive one injection, but some will receive a placebo. Each volunteer will be monitored for three weeks to determine if the vaccine causes any side effects Will also examine whether the volunteers develop coronavirus antibodies, which lead to immunity. When the first phase is completed, if successful, the vaccine is given to 960 healthy volunteers over the age of 18. The examination will begin. The second phase is expected to begin. December in medical centers across the country. That phase is to complete safety tests and direct the appropriate dosage, as well as to diagnose efficacy. If the first two phases are successful, the third phase hearing of 30,000 volunteers for the final phase will begin next April or May. Once completed, the vaccine can be approved, and the population can be vaccinated against the virus. The IIBR vaccine candidate is based on a well-known method of vaccination, the institute said. What’s new is the use of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) – a type of virus that does not cause disease in humans. Through genetic engineering, proteins bind to the VSV virus to form the coronavirus “crown” known by the body as COVID-19. As a result, the body produces antibodies against it. The N12 news site reported Sunday night that the vaccine had been tested on pigs and was effective. IIBR has been preparing for such an unknown threat for many years. As part of scientific preparations, the organization procured national infrastructure for rapid identification of epidemic pathogens and established tools developed for rapid vaccine planning in response to those outbreaks. Unique models have been put in place to test the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Treatment. Millions of vaccines have been developed and installed for fast and efficient production under strict regulatory conditions. The organization has the capacity to create 15 million doses.
