Vaccine development firm targeting new variants joins Plymouth Science Park
A healthtech company that is researching vaccines to combat emerging Covid-19 variants has announced a move to Plymouth Science Park as it grows and takes on global partnerships.
The Vaccine Group (TVG) is a University of Plymouth biotech spin-out company which aims to make the world a safer and healthier place through infection control and vaccine development.
TVG was founded in 2017 to develop and commercialise the work of Dr Michael Jarvis, Associate Professor in Virology and Immunology at the University of Plymouth’s School of Biomedical Sciences.
Vaccine research and development is essential in ensuring the health of our communities, and TVG is working on a number of projects to control human and animal diseases. Global partnerships to develop vaccines for use in animals include the Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Kansas State University and UC Davis, California. TVG partnered with Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Montana and The Pirbright Institute to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, to specifically address future variant emergence in humans.
The move to Plymouth Science Park comes as TVG attracts more investment and increases the breadth of its research and development and commercialisation work. Further expansion is anticipated in 2022 and beyond as the product portfolio and collaborative programme expands.
Jeremy Salt, CEO at TVG, said: “TVG has been awarded a number of international grants and has raised significant private investment to expand the scope of our research. The move to Plymouth Science Park is really helpful in providing high quality support for the company. This is very reassuring to us as it allows our research team to focus on their projects and building value for the company. Having other companies in close proximity is a potential benefit as we build our networks in the commercial environment.”
Fay Davies, Business Development Manager at Plymouth Science Park, said: “We are proud to be supporting the growth and development of a company working on ground-breaking and essential vaccination programmes. We are looking forward to seeing TVG’s contributions to both the Park and the wider healthcare community.”
Dr Michael Jarvis, Associate Professor in Virology and Immunology at the University of Plymouth’s School of Biomedical Sciences, said: “TVG has recently completed a pre-clinical trial that is a significant milestone in the development of the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines. This vaccine is designed specifically to address the emerging variant problem. With plans to expand and collaborate further in order to tackle COVID and other zoonotic diseases, Plymouth Science Park provides the perfect environment.”
To find out more about The Vaccine Group, visit: https://www.thevaccinegroup.com
To find out more about Plymouth Science Park, visit: https://plymouthsciencepark.com
