An Oxford company working on cancer vaccines has appointed a former AstraZeneca and Pfizer employee as its new chief medical officer.

Biotech firm SpyBiotech has appointed Dr Prakash Bhuyan to the role.

He said: "This is a pivotal time to join the talented team at SpyBiotech.

"The research collaboration with the University of Oxford, the fundamental progress of the Phase I HCMV vaccine trial, and the growth of the company have positioned SpyBiotech to take on the most challenging unmet medical needs."

Dr Bhuyan is an infectious disease specialist with more than 20 years of experience in academia and industry.

This includes serving as the chief medical officer at Aerium and being head of clinical development for vaccines and immune therapies at AstraZeneca.

Here he organised and managed the teams which developed Covid solutions, as well as RSV - a respiratory disease - and influenza-focused products.

Dr Bhuyan has also served as the senior vice president, clinical development, at Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and has held leadership roles at Pfizer and Merck.

Mark Leuchtenberger, chief executive officer of SpyBiotech, said: “We are delighted to welcome Prakash to the SpyBiotech team.

"He brings an incredible depth of expertise in infectious diseases to our leadership team, and his success in helping to bring multiple products to market will serve SpyBiotech well as we move further into the clinic."