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The project led by Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert is one of the winners of the first VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call.

The University of Oxford, in partnership with Upperton Pharma Solutions, has been awarded a grant from the first VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call to support the development of an oral formulation for Adenovirus-vectored vaccines.

The project, led by PSI Investigator Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, aims to address the limitations of intramuscular vaccine administration. By exploring oral delivery routes, the team seeks to induce mucosal immunity, improve vaccine stability, simplify distribution and support self-administration.

“We are really excited to work with Upperton to explore the potential for oral delivery of viral vectored vaccines”, said Professor Gilbert.

“If successful, this could enable the development of vaccines to protect us against pathogens that infect the gastrointestinal tract, and potentially also those that cause infections in the respiratory tract. 

“Many people would prefer to be vaccinated by simply swallowing the vaccine rather than having it injected into their arm, so this could also help with vaccine uptake.”

Upperton will apply its expertise in oral dosage form development, particle engineering and spray drying to support formulation development work, enabling the next generation of Adenovirus-vectored vaccines to be delivered without needles, facilitating greater public acceptability and vaccine uptake.

“We’re proud to partner with the University of Oxford on this initiative”, said Richard Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer at Upperton. “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 VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call, launched in January 2025, aims to support innovative projects aligned with sustainable vaccine development. The joint project is expected to complete in summer 2026.

Funding from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for the Manufacturing Research Hub for a Sustainable Future (VaxHub Sustainable), co-directed by University College London and the University of Oxford with UK university partners, is gratefully acknowledged (Grant Reference: EP/X038181/1).