Israel to hold human trials on COVID-19 vaccine with 100 volunteers
The report came following an announcement in June by the IIBR on the success of the vaccine in trials on hamsters.
By CODY LEVINEA handout photo shows an employee demonstrating a vial with "Gam-COVID-Vac" vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), during its production at Binnopharm ph(photo credit: REUTERS)
Israel will be holding human trials with 100 volunteers at the Sheba and Hadassah medical centers in the beginning of October, according to a report by China's state media Xinhua News on Thursday.Developed by Israel's governmental Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), the vaccine will be based on another virus that is allegedly not harmful to humans. This will be done by replacing a component of the coronavirus with another, which is responsible for binding to human cells.The report came following an announcement in June by the IIBR on the success of the vaccine in trials on hamsters, whereby the animal developed antibodies against the coronavirus.Volunteers will receive one dose of the vaccine through a muscle, hand or buttock as part of the first stage of testing to determine its safety. In the event that the vaccine is proven safe and has no adverse effects, trials will be expanded to hundreds of volunteers to determine its effectiveness on a mass scale.Director-General of Hadassah Medical Ceter, Zeev Rotstein, told Ynet that hospital staff are ready to accommodate the volunteers, and have special facilities that will be used in the first round of vaccine testing."We will have to do it according to the rules and in a perfect way that will be good, efficient and without additional risks," he added.
