We may be nearing a coronavirus vaccine.

Just yesterday, Moderna (MRNA) announced it submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the US FDA for its mRNA candidate to “evaluate mRNA-1273 in Phase 2 and late-stage studies if supported by safety data from the Phase 1 study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.”

This Phase 2 study is expected to begin in the second quarter, says the company.

“Submitting this IND is an important next step in the clinical development of our mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, and we are moving rapidly to potentially address this global health emergency,” said Tal Zaks, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer at Moderna. “We look forward to launching this Phase 2 study as soon as possible, which will provide important information about the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of mRNA-1273.”

Plans for Phase 3 are already underway with hopes to begin in the Fall of 2020.

With MRNA racing to get a vaccine out the door, shares are up another $4.