Upperton Pharma Solutions has been awarded funding under the first VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call to support the development of oral formulations for adenovirus-vectored vaccines, in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute in Oxford, UK. The project is scheduled to run until summer 2026.
Led by Dame Sarah Gilbert, the project seeks to explore oral vaccine delivery as an alternative to intramuscular injection. Researchers aim to assess whether this route can induce mucosal immunity, enhance stability, and simplify distribution, while also enabling self-administration. Such advances could address barriers to uptake linked to needle-based vaccination.
Upperton will contribute expertise in particle engineering, spray drying and oral dosage form development to progress the formulation work.
Commenting on the collaboration, Richard Johnson, chief scientific officer at Upperton, said: “Oral vaccine delivery has the potential to transform global immunisation and pandemic response strategies and this project is a significant step forward where we can apply our formulation development expertise.”
The initiative forms part of VaxHub Sustainable, a UK research programme funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Co-led by University College London, in London, UK, and the University of Oxford, the hub seeks to establish the UK as a leader in sustainable vaccine manufacturing.
