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Life sciences in Oxfordshire – responding to COVID-19

11:20 24 June in Life Sciences & Healthcare, Oxfordshire by Jess Harrison

Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) has produced a presentation that explores the many ways in which Oxfordshire’s life sciences sector is responding to the pandemic.

The response from the county’s life sciences sector to COVID-19 has been immediate – a mass-mobilisation which is witnessing ground-breaking research around vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, all within a unique ecosystem.

With scores of pioneering academic institutions, many hundreds of innovative life sciences companies, unique research facilities such as the Diamond Light Source (the UK’s national synchrotron), and thousands of people employed in the sector, Oxfordshire is leading the international response.

Development of the University of Oxford’s primary vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, has been undertaken in record time. The process of designing the vaccine to starting clinical trials, which usually takes several years, has been reduced to just four months. The human clinical trials have already started, with the potential for results by Autumn.
The life sciences clusters in Oxfordshire, who are all playing a role in the fight against COVID-19, comprise the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus (now also a Life Sciences Opportunities Zone), Culham Science Centre, Oxford Science Park, Old Road Campus, Milton Park and Begbroke Science Park.

Phil Southall, Managing Director, Oxford Bus Company and President of Oxfordshire Chamber of Commerce, comments:

“Great to see news of Oxfordshire leading the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic showcased in OxLEP’s new brochure. Oxfordshire’s rapid response is a reflection of its strong ecosystem and has included ground-breaking research around vaccines, diagnostics and treatments as well as the accelerated development of the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre, the first bespoke strategic vaccine development and manufacturing capability for the UK and the only one of its kind in Europe.”

 

Read the OxLEP Response to Covid-19 HERE.