VaxHub Global projects

Silkworms can be used as biofactories to produce vaccine antigens. In this project, we will validate NEVEZYNE’s silkworm-based antigen production platform. The latter is low-cost, scalable and enables decentralized manufacturing and high antigen yields. Using influenza as a model, we will:

i. produce H5N1 hemagglutinin (HA) antigen
ii. formulate the purified HA antigen with appropriate vaccine adjuvants and develop formulations for pre-clinical in vivo testing; and
iii. assess the immunogenicity of these vaccine formulations when administered by injection and when placed under the tongue, i.e. via a needle-free route.

• Start Date: 1 October 2025
• Amount Awarded: £90,104.00
• Project Partners: Prof. Sudaxshina Murdan (School of Pharmacy, University College London) and Dr Anthony Pilorget (Nevezyne SAS)

This project will evaluate mass photometry as a stability-indicating assay for conjugated virus-like particle (VLP) vaccines. These vaccines are promising because they can be adapted quickly for different diseases and assessing their stability a vital part of vaccine development. The study will compare mass photometry with current methods, generating valuable data on how different formulations affect vaccine stability. The findings aim to support thermostable vaccine development, especially important for improving vaccine access in low and middle-income countries and improve standardised analytics to accelerate scalable VLP-based vaccine platforms.

• Start Date: 1 October 2025
• Amount Awarded: £97,890.00
• Project Lead: Associate Prof. Sandy Douglas (Jenner Institute, University of Oxford)

In vivo evaluation of the utility of a novel viral vector for use in poultry vaccination specifically against the Gammacoronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and peroral administration of hyper-immune egg (HIE) supplementation from IBV hyper-immunized poultry. The combination of active (vaccination) and passive (peroral HIE) immunization is expected to provide a useful experimental model, building on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic to find practical application in combating burdensome coronavirus infections in production animals.

• Start Date: 1 October 2025
• Amount Awarded: £99,150.33
• Project Lead: David Jarvis (Liselo Labs)

Revolutionising vaccine self-sufficiency in Bangladesh starts with a strand of DNA. This UCL–Incepta collaboration pioneers the country’s first scalable plasmid DNA (pDNA) manufacturing platform to support mRNA vaccine autonomy. While Incepta, a WHO mRNA hub member, holds downstream mRNA technology, pDNA production remains a critical gap. This project bridges that divide through technology transfer, personnel training, and localised process development, from microbial strain selection to GMP-compliant purification. It introduces a replicable academia–industry model, tackling both technical and institutional barriers. By enabling end-to-end vaccine production, the initiative sets a national precedent in bio-preparedness and life sciences innovation, with impact reaching far beyond Bangladesh.

• Start Date: 1 December 2025
• Amount Awarded: £99,806.42
• Project Partners: Prof. Eli Keshavarz-Moore, Dr Salomé De Sa Magalhaes, Principal Researcher (Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London) and Mohammad Mainul Ahasan (Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Vaccine Division)