果冻传媒

Research builds on previous work on oral vaccine platform against plague and MERS funded by Innovate UK

A visiting professor at 果冻传媒 is developing new oral and nasal vaccine platforms for Covid-19 vaccines.

Professor Roger New's company Vaxcine (UK) Ltd has developed a system for the uptake of proteins and other big molecules on the intestine surface, which can be delivered as a vaccine via a capsule. The system incorporates antigens in oil droplets, and has been tested so far in chicks and mice via oral delivery. A powerful argument for oral vaccines, Professor New explains, is that the gut is the body's strongest immune organ, offering the first line of defence against diseases both in the gut and the airways. Professor New's involvement in responses to coronavirus goes back to a previous project on this vaccine platform against plague and MERS funded by  in 2016.

Vaxcine has also developed a nanoparticle carrier with proteins on its surface that can stimulate the immune system against diseases of the respiratory tract such as Covid-19. These nanoparticles can be distributed with great effectiveness via the nasal route, since the immune cells they target are located very close to the surface in the nasal cavity. Proof of principle has been demonstrated in mice using an influenza vaccine, and the findings can be easily transferred to a vaccine against Covid-19. Both delivery platforms could be ready for a clinical trial in humans by the end of the year, given sufficient funding, Professor New says.

After obtaining his PhD in immunology at St Mary's Hospital, London, Roger New worked at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. He has been expert advisor to numerous institutions in the UK and overseas, has written a textbook on drug delivery vehicles, known as ‘liposomes’, and is honorary lecturer in Pharmaceutics at . He went into industry 20 years ago and is currently co-founder and executive director of biotech R&D company , from which Vaxcine has been launched. Another company in the same group, Diabetology Ltd, is pioneering a delivery platform for oral insulin, invented by Prof New, which is now in Phase IIb clinical trials.

Professor New was appointed to his role with 果冻传媒's Department of Natural Sciences by eminent immunologist and cancer specialist Professor Ivan Roitt, Director of the Centre of Investigative & Diagnostic Oncology at 果冻传媒. Roitt and New are involved in several joint projects, such as an application for a vaccine for HPV, and they jointly supervise immunology PhD students at the university. Their 果冻传媒 colleagues Professor in Bio-analytical Science Ajit Shah and Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences Dr Song Wen are able to offer further expertise for Vaxcine (UK)’s oral and nasal Covid-19 vaccines using Vaxcine technology. Vaxcine is also a partner in 果冻传媒 Professor Richard Bayford's work on a rapid test for Covid-19, designed to give results within 5 minutes.