A biotechnology company has completed the enrolment of patients for a Phase I trial looking into the safety of a vaccine it has developed.

Oxford-based SpyBiotech, which has a vaccine platform technology that can target infectious diseases, cancer, and chronic diseases, has completed the enrolment for its clinical trial of SPYVLP01.

It is studying the safety and effectiveness of a potential vaccine for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). There is currently no approved vaccine for HCMV.

The trial, carried out in the UK, encompasses 120 healthy adults aged 18-50 and used two different doses.

Sumi Biswas, president, co-founder and chief scientific officer of SpyBiotech, said: "The initial results of our Phase I study are very encouraging.

"This is an important step forward as we further evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of our vaccine targeting HCMV, a leading infectious cause of congenital abnormalities."

HCMV causes lifelong infection in humans. Primary infection is normally asymptomatic in healthy hosts, but it can cause severe and sometimes fatal disease in babies and people with weakened immune systems.

Chief executive officer, Mark Leuchtenberger, added: "The end of enrolment in our Phase I trial of SPYVLP01 and the initial promising results both serve as a springboard as we move into the next phase of company development.

"We will continue to progress our scientific pipeline with a focus on our lead candidate and on our EBV-focused collaboration with the University of Oxford."