A factory in Melbourne has started producing a test dose of a potential coronavirus vaccine which scientists will begin testing on animals this week.

The test vaccine was developed in just six weeks by University of Queensland researchers using world-first molecular clamp technology invented in Australia.

Professor George Lovrecz and Mylinh La at CSIRO's vaccine manufacturing plant in Clayton. They hold a bottle filled with cells that will be used to produce protein for the vaccine. Behind them is a machine that will eventually be used to purify the vaccine. Credit:Scott McNaughton

The blueprint for the test vaccine was sent to a CSIRO manufacturing lab in Clayton on Thursday night. On Friday morning vaccine production began.

The University of Queensland team say they have not perfected their design yet, and more tweaking will be done over the next week.