Israel's Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer will be teaming up with the US National Institute of Health (NIH) to find a vaccine for coronavirus.
According to the plan, Sheba will send the NIH's Vaccine Research Center samples of blood, plasma, and the virus itself taken from corona patients examined in Israel, as well as all relevant information the hospital collects during the clinical studies it runs itself and in conjunction with international pharmaceutical companies.
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The NIH will supply Sheba with all the information it has on the virus in order to help expedite the medical center's work.
Professor Dror Harats, chair of the Division for Research and Development and acting director of clinical trials at Sheba called the agreement a "major achievement for Sheba."
Harats said he believed that the joint initiative would "lead to a vaccine and to saving lives."
In March, Newsweek ranked Sheba as the world's ninth-best hospital for 2020, moving up one spot from last year's list.
The weekly magazine noted the hospital's breakthrough research in cardiology, gynecology, genetics, and medical education. Mention was also given to its specializations in rehabilitation, pediatrics, women's health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eating disorders.
