In the midst of all the craziness that has been going on regarding the coronavirus outbreak, we have finally found a bright spot coming from our buddies down in Israel. According to a recent article posted by the New York Post, a group of scientists, known as MIGAL from the Galilee Research Institute, have been modifying a particular vaccine which works for the avian coronavirus, known as Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV). The hopes are to correctly adapt this vaccine to work for COVID-19.
The research team, which is made up of 80 PhDs and 260 researchers across 53 labs, found that that the poultry IBV coronavirus is genetically similar and uses the same method of infection as the human one. After discovering this, they decided to take their proven IBV vaccine and adjust its formula. What makes this particular vaccine interesting is its use of a new protein expression vector, which “forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis” (Steinbuch, 2020). This process of endocytosis, which utilizes vesicles to bring in the ingested vaccine materials into our cells, allows the body to ultimately produce antibodies to fight against the virus.
According to Dr. Chen Katz, MIGAL’s biotech group chief, the team is in the middle of the process of adjusting the vaccine to target COVID-19, and “hopefully in a few weeks we will have the vaccine in our hands” (Steinbuch, 2020). MIGAL’s CEO David Zigdon also added that the vaccine could “achieve safety approval in 90 days”, given the urgency to accelerate development and all approval processes so the general public can have access to a cure.
While the timeline the Israelis are offering for a possible vaccine sounds ideal, it might be a little too ideal. While I (and almost everyone else around the world) would love for this breakthrough to actually work so we can get the cure out as fast as possible, reality is we might have to wait a little longer than MIGAL’s predicted best-case scenario. It is important to look at the optimistic side, however, and realize that we are getting extremely close to finding a cure. We must also note that there are other groups like MIGAL all around the world and in the U.S. that are working just as hard and are finding their own potential vaccines as well. It certainly won’t be too long till we come up with one, and we can finally put an end to COVID-19’s reign.
Reference: – Steinbuch, Y. (2020, February 28). Israeli scientists claim to be weeks away FROM Coronavirus vaccine. Retrieved February 29, 2020, from https://nypost.com/2020/02/28/israeli-scientists-claim-to-be-weeks-away-from-coronavirus-vaccine/
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