Emergex has secured a 'state-of-the-art' research and development (R&D) facility and hired a new chief scientific officer to drive development of its vaccines.

The new research and development facility will be located at Milton Park, Oxfordshire. It will provide the company with its own fully equipped and resourced in-house R&D capabilities, giving it overall internal control of all its vaccine development programmes.

In addition, the biotechnology company has announced the appointment of Dr Phillip Williams as chief scientific officer (CSO), who will lead the company’s R&D operations on site.

A nanotechnology expert, Dr Williams has extensive experience in the field of gold nanoparticle development and has been involved in the production and validation of the world’s first up-scaling methodologies for nanoparticles of this nature.

Storme Moore-Thornicroft, co-founder and chief operating officer of Emergex, commented: “On behalf of the management team, I would like to welcome Phil and our newly appointed team of scientists to Emergex.

"We are looking forward to working together to effectively progress our vaccine candidates through the development pathway. These appointments, along with securing and further enhancing our own operational capability via this new facility, represent a real and significant milestone in the evolution and growth of our business.”

Emergex is initially focussed on creating an internationally accessible, clinical-grade vaccine repository for use by governments, non-governmental organisations and charities, to act as a first line of defence against existing and newly emerging infectious outbreaks.