Oxford collaboration to advance oral vaccine delivery 

Upperton Pharma Solutions is collaborating with the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute on the development of an oral formulation for adenovirus-vectored vaccines. The project, supported through the first VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call, with support from the UK’s Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre, aims to address the limitations of traditional intramuscular administration.

By exploring oral delivery routes, the research team hopes to induce mucosal immunity, improve vaccine stability, simplify distribution, and allow self-administration. Upperton will contribute its expertise in oral dosage form development, particle engineering, and spray drying to advance the formulation.

“Oral vaccine delivery has the potential to transform global immunisation and pandemic response strategies,” said Richard Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer at Upperton. “This project is a significant step forward where we can apply our formulation development expertise.”

The work is led by Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert at Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute and 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).

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