Prof. Shmuel Shapira, director of the Biological Institute, said in a discussion in the Knesset's Science and Technology Committee that the experiments will continue into 2021 • "We have the capacity to produce about 15 million vaccine doses - we are talking about starting experiments in mid-October."
The Knesset's Science and Technology Committee convened today (Tuesday) to discuss Israel's progress on the road to vaccinating the corona virus. The discussion was attended by the director of the Biological Institute, Prof. Shmuel Shapira, the chief scientist of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Avi Israeli, the head of the Innovation Authority, as well as other senior officials in the Ministry of Health, scientists and researchers.
Photo: GPO
"We have the capacity to produce about 15 million vaccine doses for the State of Israel at the Biological Institute," said Professor Shapira. "However, there is no ability to produce antibodies in Israel. There is a start of production of our antibodies in a foreign country and the first quantity will be directed to Israel. We will have to see if and in what way."
Prof. Shapira commented on the expected start of experiments on humans: "We are talking about starting experiments in mid-October when there will be a limitation between the first and second phase. We hope the second phase will end towards the end of the year, the end of December. The third phase is much more complex and time consuming. We will have to start vaccinating on a large scale and see what we do next. "
"No body has done as much and volume of animal experiments as we have done. Therefore, when we go out to humans we feel much better than companies in the world. We had no shortcuts, and we went a very long way," he said.
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He added that the Biological Institute has conducted experiments on many groups of animals, "especially hamsters and rabbits - they are a better model for the disease. Pig less good, mouse is less good but in terms of safety we have done in very many groups of animals. We have reinforcement that the vaccine is It is also effective in animals, in the sense that animals develop neutralizing antibodies and also in aspects of safety. "
"From the first moment I knew we would not be the first, and those who might seemingly achieve us - we achieve them in other things. I think our goal is not to be first but to bring vaccine to the citizens of Israel. I think we will bring good vaccine to Israel in a reasonable time."