A research team at the University of Saskatchewan along with collaborating scientists from across Canada have received almost $1 million to develop a vaccine for the new coronavirus.

The project is being led by university's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac).

The funding will be used over the next two years to develop animal models and test vaccine candidates to protect against the new coronavirus, according to the university.

The 12-member team, led by Darryl Falzarano of VIDO-InterVac, includes scientists from Dalhousie University, the University of Manitoba, the National Microbiology Laboratory, and the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease.

In a news release, Falzarano said the centre has developed various coronavirus vaccines for animals, but that there are still no commercial coronavirus vaccines for humans.

He said the hope is to use animal models to better understand how a virus is transmitted and to evaluate vaccines as well as antivirals that could protect both animals and humans.