An assistant professor at Auburn University’s veterinary school is set to begin testing vaccine candidates designed to protect against COVID-19.

The project is a collaboration with the University of Georgia. The Auburn professor, Dr. Constantinos Kyriakis, has degrees in veterinary medicine and virology.

According to a release provided by Auburn, the trial vaccines he is researching will use swine as the test subjects.

“Mass vaccinations will help build what is known as ‘herd immunity,’ the cornerstone of infectious disease control,” said Kyriakis in the school’s release.

Kyriakis has previously done work at the Center for Vaccines and Immunology.

“Using reliable animal models allows us to identify target antigens, optimize our vaccine dose and formulation, and select the most promising vaccine candidates for human clinical trials,” commented Kyriakis on the use of the methods he is employing.

“These steps are critical in identifying safe, effective vaccines and moving them into production as quickly as possible,” he advised.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.