On Apr. 20, 2020, SNBL announced their intention to participate in the development of a prophylactic DNA vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the disease which causes COVID-19. The role of SNBL was to plan and conduct the preclinical safety studies of the DNA vaccine, which has collaboratively been developed by AnGes and Osaka University, in order to conduct the clinical trial as early as possible.

This vaccine uses plasmid DNA technology which means that it can be produced faster than attenuated vaccines. DNA vaccines are safe and work by inoculating a plasmid encoding the protein of the target pathogen.