Marco Polo Peralta Alvarez

My research focuses on translational vaccinology, immunology and cancer prevention to develop interventions that can move efficiently from discovery through early clinical testing and into real-world use.

I developed an early interest in immunology during my medical training, which led me to pursue doctoral research at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford. There, my work focused on vaccine development against infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2 and malaria. My DPhil research focused on antibody responses to tuberculosis vaccines in humans and non-human primates, identifying functionally relevant immune signatures that may help inform future vaccine design (Peralta Alvarez et al., Vaccine, 2024), (Peralta Alvarez et al., NPJ vaccines, 2024).

Alongside this work, I contributed to the clinical development of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222 vaccine in partnership with AstraZeneca, gaining experience across phase I–III vaccine studies and rapid-response clinical development. This experience highlighted the importance of integrating immunology, clinical strategy and scalable manufacturing to ensure that vaccines can be deployed effectively during global health emergencies.

In my first postdoctoral role, under the supervision of Assoc. Professor Alexander (Sandy) Douglas (Oxf), I focused on adenoviral vector manufacturing and vaccine process development, coordinating scientific, analytical and documentation activities across internal teams and external partners. This work strengthened my interest in the translational pathway from preclinical concept to clinical readiness, particularly for rapid-response vaccine platforms.

I have now joined the Blagden Group in the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, where I am applying my expertise in vaccinology and immunology to cancer prevention. My current research interests include the development of cancer vaccinology programmes for BRCA-associated breast and ovarian cancer risk, as well as hereditary cancer syndromes such as Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. I am particularly interested in immune-based prevention strategies that can generate strong scientific rationale, clinically meaningful biomarkers and development-ready approaches for early phase I/IIa studies.