SAN DIEGO -- The Swine Flu virus is continuing to spread in the United States and around the world.

In San Diego County, there are now 465 confirmed cases of Swine Flu, including three deaths.

Statewide there have been about 1,300 cases.

So, the search for a vaccine is in full swing.

10News has learned one local company may be ahead of everyone else in developing that vaccine.

It’s big news for Vical, located in Sorrento Mesa.

They have had encouraging results testing their Swine Flu vaccine on animals.

“Ii would say very encouraging,” said Larry Smith, Vice-President for Vaccine Research at Vical.

The immune responses were above the accepted levels of protection in all the mice and rabbits they vaccinated.

Vical specializes in DNA vaccines.

They got the Swine Flu gene sequence from the CDC and used that to develop the vaccine.

“Our advantage is speed. We can produce this vaccine very quickly. The other manufacturers, unfortunately, have to produce the vaccine using chicken eggs, which can take four to six months,” Smith said.

Vical doesn’t need the actual virus to make a vaccine.

“There are several parts to this equation. There's the science part, which seems to be going fairly well, and then there's the money,” Smith said, money for manufacturing and clinical trials on humans.

They hope to get financial help from the U.S. Navy.

“They approached us in late April and asked to work with us on a vaccine, and they are certainly doing their part to try to find finances for this trial,” Smith said.

As for concerns about people getting sick from the vaccine “I would say absolutely not,” Smith said.

That’s because the vaccine does not actually contain the live virus.

Vical is a fairly small company. If the clinical trials are successful, and they get FDA approval, they would have to bring on other manufacturers to make enough vaccine.

If the clinical trials go well, they get the financing, and the FDA approval, it's possible the vaccine could be available by September.