On May 13, 2020, University of Alberta (UA) researchers launched a joint effort with U.S.-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals to develop and test a vaccine against COVID-19.

The UA team inserted genes copied from the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome into Tonix’s proprietory vaccinia and horsepox viruses, then test whether the viruses are expressing ‘spike’ protein and other SARS-CoV-2 proteins.