Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:INO) shares are trading higher by 17.9% to $2.27 Tuesday afternoon amid growing concerns about respiratory illnesses, including seasonal influenza, COVID-19 and RSV. Increased attention to vaccine and therapeutic solutions this week has increased interest in biotechnology stocks focused on infectious diseases.

The Louisiana Department of Health also reported the first U.S. H5N1 death, a patient over 65 with underlying conditions who contracted the virus from birds, with no further cases or person-to-person spread. This may increase demand for avian flu vaccines and research.

Read Also: US Records First Human Bird Flu Death, High Levels Of Respiratory Illnesses: Vaccine Stocks Rally

What Else: Inovio is known for its DNA-based vaccine technology platform. The company's lead product candidate, INO-4800, a DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, remains a focal point of its pipeline, particularly for markets seeking alternatives to traditional mRNA vaccines.

Inovio's portfolio extends beyond COVID-19. The company is advancing research on vaccines targeting a variety of infectious diseases and cancers, with recent progress in its RSV and MERS vaccine programs.

Additionally, its SynCon platform, which underpins its DNA medicines, enables the design and production of new vaccine candidates, potentially positioning Inovio as a player in responding to emerging global health threats.

Read Also: Why Novavax Stock Is Rising

How To Buy INO Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Inovio Pharmaceuticals – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy 'fractional shares,' which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share. For example, some stock, like Berkshire Hathaway, can cost thousands of dollars to own just one share. However, if you only want to invest a fraction of that, brokerages will allow you to do so.

In the case of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, which is trading at $2.33 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 42.92 shares of stock.

If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to 'go short' a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.