Feb 7, 2020 - Health

Vaccine candidate for coronavirus on track for human trials in April

A scientist is at work in the VirPath university laboratory, classified as "P3" level of safety, on February 5, 2020 as they try to find an effective treatment against the new SARS-like coronavirus,

A scientist is at work in the VirPath university laboratory as they try to find an effective treatment against 2019-nCoV. Photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images

The National Institutes of Health and biotech company Moderna, one of several companies working to develop treatment for the novel coronavirus, are on track for human clinical trials for a vaccine in two and half months, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci, said in a press briefing Friday.

Why it matters: If the trials prove effective, the vaccine could help protect people from future outbreaks. The researchers were able to successfully take the virus's genetic code and express proteins for animal trials. “I’m happy to tell you there are no glitches so far," Fauci said.

Go deeper: Billionaires and multinationals donate to fight coronavirus

Go deeper