JERUSALEM, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The COVID Moonshot, an open science campaign, discovered a compound promising for blocking the protein that is essential for the replication of COVID-19 virus, Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) said in a statement on Friday.

       A new report published on the journal Science on Friday offers detailed information about the specific compound that shows significant potential in inhibiting the replication of COVID-19, employing ways distinct from those of currently available drugs.

       The WIS statement and Science report noted that the discovery reflects the success of the open science research framework offered by COVID Moonshot, which promotes transparency, collaboration, and accessibility by openly sharing research outputs, data, methodologies, and tools.

       The campaign aimed to allow pharmaceutical companies to transform compounds into generic drugs without patents, enabling them to be marketed at much-reduced prices compared to branded ones, thereby increasing the affordability of anti-COVID-19 drugs for low-income countries and populations, according to WIS.

       COVID Moonshot is a non-profit partnership of worldwide researchers formed in March 2020 to find a cure for the coronavirus after its outbreak.