RNA vaccines work by using a small segment of the target disease’s genetic material to instruct cells to produce a protein, which then triggers an immune response. The new partnership with Univercells will enable Oxford researchers to expedite the creation of pre-clinical and clinical-grade RNA vaccines targeting various cancers and infectious diseases, bringing advanced treatments closer to clinical use.
This new initiative builds on Oxford’s expertise in vaccine development in the fight against many infectious diseases including pathogens of pandemic potential, e.g. flaviviruses, influenza, Ebola viruses and of course SARS-CoV-2.
The infectious disease arm of the collaboration – which will be spearheaded by Professor Teresa Lambe at the Oxford Vaccine Group and the Pandemic Sciences Institute – will initially focus on flaviviruses, a group of viruses spread by mosquitoes and ticks, responsible for diseases like dengue, Zika, West Nile fever and yellow fever. Professor Lambe said: “This new collaboration will bring together Oxford’s scientific expertise with Univercells’ RNA know-how to develop, manufacture and test vaccines that could protect people around the world. Infectious diseases caused by outbreak pathogens cause devastating suffering, and it’s critical we have the expertise and infrastructure to rapidly develop and deploy new vaccine technologies that will save lives.”
The collaboration will also explore the manufacture of RNA vaccines at NDM’s Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility. This state-of-the-art facility includes laboratories that manufacture clinical-grade vaccines that can be used in early-phase clinical trials, streamlining and speeding up the development and testing process.
The cancer arm of the collaboration – which will be led by Professor Tim Elliott, Kidani Professor of Immuno-oncology, Director of NDM's Centre for Immuno-Oncology and co-director of Oxford Cancer – will leverage Oxford’s growing understanding of how our immune system responds to different cancers. Professor Elliott said: “The agreement with Univercells will allow us access to innovative technology, improving our understanding of cancer immunology, streamlining the manufacturing process, and allowing faster, more affordable cancer treatment solutions to be made available directly to the clinics where they are needed most.”
The project will also build upon ongoing work from Associate Professor Lennard Lee, who co-designed the NHS Cancer vaccine launchpad. Professor Lee said: “Oxford University has a proven track record of working with the leading manufacturers and establishing collaborations between industry, government, funders and academia. This will advance the agenda for cancer vaccines in the UK and potentially bring through a new hope for those who have a cancer diagnosis.”