Influenza Research Consortium announces £1.2 million (C$2.2 million) in funding for the development of a novel broad-spectrum vaccine
Cambridge, UK 07 July, 2025 - 4basebio plc, ConserV Bioscience Limited, Pegasus Biotech, the University of Leicester, and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) announce that the UK and Canadian governments are providing up to a combined £1.2 million (C$2.2 million) in funding to develop and manufacture a broadly protective influenza vaccine. This project is supported through the Canada-UK 2024-25 collaborative industrial R&D call for proposals on enabling technologies and innovations for biomanufacturing of biologics and advanced therapeutics. UK participants are supported by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), while in Canada, support for the project is offered through the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) and the NRC Collaborative Science and Technology Innovation Program (NRC CSTIP).
Over two years, the new collaboration will employ next generation nucleic acid vaccine and delivery technologies, developed by 4Basebio and Pegasus Biotech, to combine seasonal influenza vaccines with ConserV Bioscience’s antigens clinically proven to induce broadly protective immune responses. The antigen combination approach, together with the use of nucleic acids and 4basebio's Hermes delivery platform, aims to generate a more effective and broadly protective influenza vaccine that will be evaluated for immunogenicity and efficacy in animal models developed at the University of Leicester. The consortium will also benefit from the process development capabilities of the NRC to bring a lower cost influenza vaccine closer to market.
“The composition and manufacturing of flu vaccines hasn’t experienced drastic changes despite significant advances in vaccine technology such as mRNA/DNA, nanoparticle delivery platforms and the identification of antigens less prone to mutation. It is time to apply those advances to the creation of a better flu vaccine.” said Dr. Yimy Mena, CEO of Pegasus Biotech.
Dr. Emily Young, Head of Non-Viral Delivery for 4Basebio, who recently received MHRA GMP certification commented: “It’s a pleasure to partner with such innovative companies and institutions to develop a novel vaccine and to demonstrate the potential of our combined technologies to create high-performance and affordable vaccine products.” Dr. Ashish Dhir, Director of RNA for 4basebio added: “It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring in the unique cost and time benefits of fully enzymatic cell-free opDNA into mRNA manufacturing of novel therapeutic vaccines against flu virus.”
Dr. Olga Pleguezuelos, CSO of ConserV Bioscience, remarked: “There is a real threat that the next global pandemic will be caused by an influenza virus. Efficacy of current vaccines can be compromised by viral mutations and offer no protection against emergent strains. Therefore, there is a need for a better influenza vaccine that can provide better protection but also provide pre-pandemic preparedness. We are very excited to initiate this collaboration combining knowledge, expertise and novel technologies to achieve the next generation of broadly protective influenza vaccines.”
For more information, please contact:
UK Lead
Dr. Olga Pleguezuelos
ConserV Bioscience Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1869 238 361
Olga.pleguezuelos@conservbio.com
Canada Lead
Dr. Yimy Mena
Pegasus Biotech Incorporated
Tel: +1-902 629 0580
yimymena@pegasusbio.com
Notes to editors
About 4basebio
4basebio is an innovation driven life biotechnology company focused on accelerating the development of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) through its high-performance synthetic DNA products and non-viral, cell targeting nucleic acid delivery platform. The Company’s objective is to become a market leader in the manufacture and supply of high-quality synthetic DNA products for research, therapeutic and pharmacological use as well as development of target specific non-viral vectors for the efficient delivery of payloads in patients.
About ConserV Bioscience Limited
ConserV Bioscience Limited, based in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, is a clinical-stage vaccine development company focused on advancing safe and effective vaccines that protect against endemic and emergent infectious diseases. Founded in 2020 as a spin-out from PepTcell Limited, it has an experienced scientific and leadership team. It is harnessing its novel in silico proprietary platform to identify highly conserved regions of viral proteins that contain a high number of reactive T-cell epitopes with extensive HLA coverage. ConserV Bioscience has a pipeline of ten vaccines at various stages of pre-clinical and clinical development including vaccine candidates to protect against broad-spectrum influenza (Phase III ready), malaria (Phase II ready), HIV (phase II ready_, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Chagas, broad-spectrum coronavirus, Zika and chikungunya. www.conservbio.com.
About the University of Leicester
The Division of Biomedical Services within the Preclinical Research Facility at the University of Leicester enables researchers to translate scientific findings into improvements in the health of individuals, society and the environment. We offer expert guidance, support and capacity to undertake research that involves the use of animals or animal tissue for your translational and preclinical endeavour. We have dedicated staff to support your research, training, competency and compliance. The dedicated staff will guide you through the process of application, identify training requirements and ensure training and competency is maintained. The experienced team of technicians support the care and welfare of all animals used in scientific research. The University is legally responsible to comply with the Animals (Scientific) Procedures Act 1986 (ASPA) and the Code of Practice that sets out the standards of care and accommodation of animals required by ASPA.
About Pegasus Biotech
Pegasus Biotech is a contract research organization (CRO) based in Prince Edward Island, Canada, specializing in process and analytical development for the global vaccine and biopharmaceutical industry. The company provides end-to-end support for clients in both human and animal health, ensuring that projects—whether in the proof-of-concept stage or ready for production—are commercially viable and compliant with global regulatory standards. Pegasus has deep expertise in plasmid DNA development, supporting clients in DNA vaccine production, gene therapy applications, and recombinant protein expression. Its proprietary BPE technology addresses key industry challenges by enabling high-yield, low-cost plasmid production through a compact, antibiotic-free plasmid backbone and a thermoregulated replication system. This innovation enhances safety, efficiency, and scalability in DNA-based therapeutics. With proven success in plasmid DNA and biotechnology commercialization, Pegasus helps clients successfully develop, approve, and launch innovative vaccines, gene therapies, and biopharmaceutical products into the market.
About the UK Vaccine Network
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the UK Government department which is responsible for helping people to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. This investment is part of the UK Vaccine Network (UKVN). UKVN was established to provide funding to support the development of promising vaccines and vaccine technologies that will help combat infectious diseases that have epidemic potential in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). UKVN is a £120m UK Aid investment, which means all projects funded must support research primarily and directly for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).