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Immunotherapies producer Scancell booked a full-year loss as it continued to incur development costs fortreatment and vaccine candidates, including for cancer and Covid-19.
Pre-tax losses for the year through April amounted to £6.8 million, compared to losses of £6.7 million year-on-year.
The company had initiated a phase-two clinical trial of a potential treatment for advanced melanoma, following regulatory approvals in the UK and US
Patient enrolment for that trial was paused due to prioritisation of Covid-19 patients during the pandemic.
Scancell said commencement of patient enrolment in the UK was planned for late in the second half of 2020, contingent on the impact of any future Covid-19 restrictions.
The company was also leading a consortium that had initiated a research programme to develop a DNA vaccine for Covid-19.
A related phase-one clinical trial was anticipated to start in 2021.
'The Covid-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for many, and in order to use our expertise and resources to help in the global response, we initiated a research programme to develop a DNA vaccine for Covid-19, in collaboration with a consortium of scientists at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University,' chief executive Cliff Holloway said.
'The vaccine aims to induce both durable T-cell responses and virus neutralising antibodies, which we believe will give a more potent and long-lasting response than other vaccines in development, ultimately leading to better protection.'