If Israel is to be believed they have made a breakthrough in treatment for COVID-19. Israel’s Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) has claimed the development of a monoclonal antibody that attacks and neutralises the coronavirus. As per Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett, scientists at the Institute for Biological Research Institute have made a “significant breakthrough” and developed an antibody to the novel coronavirus. He also added that medication was still at least several months away.
According to Bennett, Israeli research team has completed the antibody development and now they’re in the process of acquiring the patent for their finding following which the research team will reach out to companies for large scale commercial production of the antibody.
About Research
The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), has completed a commendable scientific development by generating an antibody. This will neutralise the coronavirus (SARS-COV-2).
The research follows three key parameters-
- The antibody is monoclonal, new and refined and will not cause complications for patients as it contains low proportion of harmful proteins.
- Finding an antibody that destroys the virus. That is the antibody that can neutralise the coronavirus.
- The antibody was tested on the aggressive coronavirus.
What are the antibodies?
An antibody is a protein produced by the immune system of the body in response to antigens, which are harmful substances. Antigens can be bacteria, fungi, parasites, viruses, chemicals, and other substances. The immune system of the body identifies it as a foreign substance. Antibodies are naturally produced by the body immune system. Scientists can produce the antibodies in the lab to enhance the action of the immune system and are known as man-made antibodies that act against proteins and attack normal tissues in an individual with autoimmune disorders.
What are monoclonal antibodies?
The monoclonal antibodies act like immunotherapy because they make the immune system respond better to allow the body to find and attack unhealthy cells more effectively. A man-made antibody, it is produced from cloned immune cells
Monoclonal antibodies are produced in a laboratory and serve as substitute antibodies that can restore, enhance the immune system’s attack on unhealthy cells. They bind antigens that are generally more numerous on the surface of the unhealthy cells than healthy cells.
After Plasma therapy the monoclonal antibody treatment is a silver lining for the researchers. Various researchers across the globe are rushing to discover the proper treatment and the vaccine for the life-threatening coronavirus. Scientists from different countries, including India, Russia, China, the United States and Europe have been working on a potential vaccine against the virus since January. Many suggest that vaccine development will take 18 months or longer.
