The new multi-year collaboration with UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing treatments that aim to transform the lives of people living with neurological and immunological conditions, will further develop and interrogate the Translational Pharmacology Group’s (TPhG) neoantigen human immune challenge platform. This involves healthy volunteers being repeatedly exposed to a controlled dose of a substance their immune system will respond to, such that the sequence and nature of molecular and cellular events can be understood, and the effect of potential medicines on them recorded.
The researchers aim to better understand how adaptive immunity develops and is maintained, particularly in lymph nodes and peripheral tissues, and to enable the efficient development of precision drugs targeting this system.
Associate Professor James Fullerton, head of the TPhG, said ‘We are delighted to be working with UCB to help translate scientific insight and therapeutic potential into meaningful treatments for underserved patient groups. This investment reflects a mutual desire to exert near-term real-world impact and shared vision around the value of experimental medicine to accelerate drug development.’
The new collaboration will support the appointment of Dr Loren Kell, who recently obtained her DPhil with the Alsaleh Group, to lead the project, and the enrolment of Daniel Shapiro (MBiol, New College, 2025) on the DPhil in Molecular and Cellular Medicine at the Botnar Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences.
Dr Stevan Shaw, Head of UK Research, UCB, said ‘We are thrilled to collaborate with the exceptional team at Oxford University. By uniting their pioneering expertise in experimental medicine with UCB’s dedication to scientific excellence and innovation in immunology, we have a remarkable opportunity to advance our understanding of immune‑mediated diseases. Together, we aim to build a robust evidence base that will drive the development of differentiated, and impactful treatments for patients worldwide.’