With the COVID-19 pandemic far from over, the race is on to create a vaccine to kill the virus. Since late January, most Chinese lawmakers and political advisers have joined the fight against COVID-19 in their respective industries and sectors. CGTN spoke to a National People's Congress (NPC) deputy in the pharmaceutical industry to find out how he's leading his company in the battle against the pandemic.

Since the start of the COVID 19 outbreak, Dr. Ding Lieming and his team have been using their technical know-how in developing drugs and vaccines to fight the virus.

For years, his company has produced innovative medications for malignant tumors and diabetes.

NPC deputy Dr. Ding told CGTN that he and his team are developing a dendritic cell-based vaccine for COVID-19. The vaccine's cell strain has been set. The next step is to prepare for animal testing by cooperating with other institutions.

Since this year's Two Sessions - the annual meetings of the national legislature and the top political advisory body - has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many NPC deputies have framed their proposals based on the global public health crisis.

While it's not yet decided when the annual sessions will be held,  Ding plans to discuss his ideas on vaccine research and development with other Chinese lawmakers.

After discussions with other drug makers, Ding has some new suggestions on how to better deal with such a deadly and infectious disease.

Ding said they hope to further innovate the technology of making medical products to prevent and cure major infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

So far, the first phase of clinical trials have begun on two new coronavirus candidate vaccines, from China and the United States.

Other candidate vaccines are still at preclinical research stage.

Ding said vaccine development involves long-term research, which requires younger talent.

Ding further added that to enlarge the investment of research and development and groom younger talent the establishment of a systematic innovative environment is required.

Compared to other types of inoculations, Ding said the dendritic cell-based vaccine his company is testing will not only prevent the virus but also potentially cure the disease.

Although more time is needed to ensure the safety parameters of the vaccine, he is hopeful that further joint efforts will go a long way in ultimately defeating the epidemic.