A laboratory in Connecticut says it is in the final stages of creating a vaccine against Ebola.

Meridien-based Protein Sciences say it could have a vaccine ready by the end of the year. Once the vaccine is complete, the lab will send it to the National Institutes of Heath for testing.

Protein Sciences' Ebola vaccine is a modification of its influenza vaccine FluBloc. The lab says it tweaked FluBloc according to the genetic code for Ebola.

The vaccine is a protein that is similar to the protein which coats the outer shell of an Ebola strand.

Like the flu vaccine, the Ebola vaccine would have to be taken before an infection sets in to safeguard the body from contracting the disease.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who visited the Protein Sciences lab Monday, says she is on board with the new vaccine. She says she thinks the federal government needs to invest more in research and development in this area.

Protein Sciences CEO Dr. Manon Cox says samples of the vaccine should be ready by December.

Cox and DeLauro say the vaccine could be made available for medical workers or members of the U.S. military sometime next year.