Welwyn Garden City, UK – August 2026 – PHARMExcel, the UK-based specialist Clinical Research Organisation (CRO), has been named a finalist in the Industry–Academic Collaboration of the Year category at the Pharma Industry Awards UK 2026, recognising its role in the successful delivery of an innovative Phase 1 vaccine clinical trial that could help transform the future of pandemic preparedness.
The nomination recognises a collaborative partnership between DIOSynVax, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and PHARMExcel, following the publication of positive Phase 1 clinical trial results for a first-in-human universal Sarbeco coronavirus vaccine.
The study evaluated an AI-designed ‘super-antigen’ vaccine intended to provide broad protection against an entire family of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS and related animal viruses with future pandemic potential. The Phase 1 trial enrolled 39 healthy volunteers and demonstrated that the vaccine was well tolerated, with no significant safety concerns, marking an important milestone in the development of next-generation vaccines designed to remain effective as viruses evolve.
As the Clinical Research Organisation supporting the study, PHARMExcel was responsible for delivering specialist safety management throughout the clinical trial, working closely with the study sponsor and clinical investigators to ensure the research was conducted safely, efficiently and in accordance with the highest regulatory and quality standards.
The recognition highlights the increasing importance of collaborative partnerships in accelerating innovative vaccine development and bringing pioneering scientific discoveries into clinical research.
“Being shortlisted for this award is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved,” said Yvanne Enever, CEO of PHARMExcel.
“Innovative clinical research depends on strong partnerships. By bringing together academic expertise, NHS clinical research infrastructure, pioneering biotechnology companies and experienced CRO support, we can help promising therapies progress safely from concept into clinical development. We are proud to have contributed our clinical trial and safety management expertise to such an important programme.”
Supporting innovative vaccine clinical trials
Vaccine development continues to evolve rapidly, particularly as researchers seek new approaches capable of protecting against entire virus families rather than individual variants.
Studies of this complexity require experienced clinical trial partners able to navigate regulatory requirements, manage patient safety and coordinate multiple stakeholders across academia, healthcare and industry.
PHARMExcel has established itself as a trusted UK CRO specialising in early-phase and complex clinical trials, supporting biotechnology companies, university spin-outs, NHS organisations and pharmaceutical sponsors across a wide range of therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases and vaccines.
The company’s expertise spans Phase I-IV clinical trials, with services including regulatory affairs, study start-up, clinical project management, monitoring, medical monitoring, pharmacovigilance and safety management, data management, quality assurance and clinical operations.
Building successful academic-industry partnerships
One of PHARMExcel’s distinguishing strengths is its ability to bridge academic research and commercial clinical development.
Many breakthrough therapies originate within universities, NHS organisations and early-stage biotechnology companies, where scientific innovation is abundant but specialist clinical development expertise may be limited.
PHARMExcel works alongside sponsors as an extension of their teams, creating collaborative CRO-sponsor partnerships that combine scientific excellence with practical clinical trial delivery. This flexible, partnership-led approach enables innovative therapies to progress efficiently through clinical development while maintaining the highest standards of patient safety, regulatory compliance and operational quality.
The Pharma Industry Awards UK finalist recognition reflects PHARMExcel’s long-standing commitment to supporting collaborative research programmes that have the potential to improve patient care and address some of healthcare’s most significant future challenges.
As vaccine science continues to advance, collaborations between academia, healthcare organisations, biotechnology innovators and specialist CROs will remain critical in translating scientific discoveries into treatments capable of benefiting patients around the world.
The Pharma Industry Awards UK 2026 winners will be announced later this year.
