Vaccitech, a spin-out company from the University of Oxford, is developing a universal vaccine that can be used for swine flu, avian flu, and human flu.
An attractive proposition for healthcare providers
Current flu vaccines target the variable outer regions of the influenza virus and need to be updated annually as the virus adapts and the outer region changes, meaning health agencies need to predict what is going to be the dominant variety.
If their prediction is wrong, the vaccine is ineffective for that year.
Vaccitech’s vaccine targets proteins that are found beneath the virus’s capsule and are not variable between different strains of influenza A, which means healthcare providers do not need to update the vaccine.
Vaccitech Is Attracting Venture Capital Investment
Venture capital firms Sequoia China and GV (investment arm of Alphabet Inc.) have invested $27 million in Vaccitech, and the Oxford Sciences Innovation centre is also providing funding.
Vaccitech will use the net proceeds to push its influenza and prostate cancer programs through Phase II of clinical development by the end of 2019.
