A COMPANY linked to Oxford University working to develop a universal flu vaccine has secure £20m in funding.

It means the total raised by Vaccitech has reached £30m since it was established in 2016.

Vaccitech, which was developed by Oxford University Innovation in 2016, is working to bring together the research of vaccine development specialists Adrian Hill and Sarah Gilbert.

The company is currently based at the Oxford Science Park and will use the £20m funding to expand its business, develop its lab structure and to push its influenza and prostate cancer programmes by the end of 2019.

Tom Evans, the company's chief executive, said: “When you look at the 250 million people chronically infected with hepatitis B globally, or the number of people killed by the flu each year, it becomes clear just how much potential impact Vaccitech’s portfolio of vaccine products could have on the world."