Romain Guyon

After obtaining an MSc in biomedical engineering from the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées of Lyon, France (INSA de Lyon) in 2018, I was awarded an NDM Prize Studentship at the University of Oxford and undertook a DPhil in Clinical Medicine. Based between the Jenner Institute and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME), my research focused on the development of delayed vaccine delivery technologies, working with Dr. Anita Milicic, Prof. Eleanor Stride and Prof. Adrian Hill.

During my PhD project, I created a microfluidics-based process to continuously produce liquid core-solid PLGA shell particles. These core-shell particles were engineered to be able to carry a vaccine booster load in their core, be co-injected alongside the prime soluble vaccine, and release their payload in vivo after a tunable time delay, removing the need for any further booster injections. I used the R21 malaria vaccine in a mouse model to demonstrate the ability of the particles to deliver the vaccine with different delays and provide efficacy in malaria challenge experiments. As a result of my PhD work, I received the 2023 NDM Graduate Prize.

 I am currently a postdoctoral researcher, leading the conception and development of vaccine delivery technologies within the Milicic group and in collaboration with Prof. Stride. I was awarded the 2022 Michelson Prize which will permit me to develop the encapsulation of the licenced rabies vaccine within core-shell particles for single-visit post-exposure prophylaxis.

Apart from research, I am a member of the Oxford University Athletic Club, running the 400m, and play point guard in the Oxford University Basketball team. I also practice kitesurf and wakeboard in my spare time.