Upperton Pharma Solutions Awarded VaxHub Sustainable Grant 

Upperton Pharma Solutions, a UK-based CDMO, was awarded a grant as part of the first VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call, in collaboration with the University of Oxford. The funding supports the development of an oral formulation for Adenovirus-vectored vaccines.

Led by Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, the project aims to address the limitations of intramuscular vaccine administration. By exploring oral delivery routes, the team seeks to induce mucosal immunity, improve vaccine stability, simplify distribution, and support self-administration.

Upperton Pharma Solutions specialises in formulation development, clinical trial manufacturing, and manufacturing across various dosage forms, including oral solids, liquids, semi-solids, inhalation, and sterile products. With a 60,000 square foot facility in Nottingham, the company offers integrated CDMO services from pre-clinical development through to market supply.

Upperton will apply its expertise in oral dosage form development, particle engineering, and spray drying to support formulation development work, enabling the next generation of Adenovirus-vectored vaccines to be delivered without needles, facilitating greater public acceptability and vaccine uptake.

The VaxHub Sustainable Platform Funding Call, launched in January 2025, aims to support innovative projects aligned with sustainable vaccine development. The joint project is expected to be completed in summer 2026.

VaxHub Sustainable is a research initiative funded by the UK’s EPSRC. Co-led by Prof Martina Micheletti (UCL) and Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert (Oxford), to position the UK as a global leader in sustainable vaccine manufacturing.

This work is supported by 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).