Daiichi Sankyo Co. said on Monday that its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate was selected for inclusion in a drug discovery program by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.

The vaccine, known as DS-5670, was picked for the second round of AMED's program dedicated to COVID-19 research. Daiichi Sankyo is aiming to begin clinical studies of the vaccine around March 2021 in collaboration with the University of Tokyo.