Turkey’s scientists to produce coronavirus cure within 6 months

Turkish scientists are working day and night in order to produce a vaccine and treatment against the novel coronavirus that has gripped the world, bringing everyday life to a standstill.

“We expect the study, including pre-clinical development, to be complete within six to nine months,” said Dr. Urartu Şeker of Turkey’s Bilkent University.

Şeker, who is running the coronavirus vaccine project at the university’s National Nanotechnology Research Center, said that scientists are working on developing proteins that will prevent the virus from attaching itself to human cells.

“This will prevent the spread of virus particles in patients. We are about to move onto the experimental production stage. Upon its completion, Prof. Aykut Özkul, the director of Ankara University’s Biotechnology Institute, and his team will begin the trials,” he said.

"We are working day and night to shorten the process and work faster. Hence, we anticipate that we will possess an effective new generation drug that can be administrated to patients," he added.

After originating in Wuhan last December, the virus known as COVID-19 has spread to at least 180 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe, while China has largely come out of the crisis.

The virus has killed more than 42,400 people and infected over 862,200 globally, while some 178,800 people recovered from the disease, according to figures collated by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins Uni-versity.