30 January marks World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, a moment to shine a light on diseases that cause substantial harm to public health, yet remain underprioritised in research, funding, and action.
The WORMVACS2.0 consortium brings together experts in immunology, epidemiology, and vaccine development to establish an effective pipeline for developing vaccines against parasitic worms that cause some of the world’s most devastating and persistent neglected tropical diseases.
In this video, you meet the team in CERMEL, one of the project partners. Some colleagues work in the clinic, seeing patients, gathering data on the prevalence of different diseases, and collecting samples, while others analyse these data to identify ways to fight parasitic worm infections.
Each of them, from nurses to lab technicians, is an essential part of the team, contributing to the important work of fighting neglected tropical diseases.
30 January marks World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, an occasion to highlight diseases that, while they harm public health in considerable ways, are often not prioritised regarding research and other actions to limit their effects. Reasons for this are varied – their overall impact might be difficult to measure, and they often affect populations in lower-income countries, where resources for public health research and measures are likewise limited.
WORMVACS2.0 is a Horizon Europe project that aims to overcome some of these barriers, bringing together researchers from 4 different continents to explore worm infections. It seeks to better define immunity against worm infections and eventually set up a helminth vaccine development pipeline. By doing this, the project contributes to the goal of strengthening innovation in dealing with neglected tropical diseases.
We spoke with Prof Dr Cornelis Hokke, WORMVACS2.0 coordinator, to learn more. In this video interview, he dives into the project goals and the consortium working to achieve them.
Professors, data engineers, and researchers. All of them are the women behind WORMACS2.0, working to develop a pipeline for helminth vaccine development. They explore the immunology of infections, analyse antibody immune response, create databases, produce possible vaccine candidates, and more.
They are living proof that to tackle health challenges effectively, we must harness all talent and ensure that all those interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can pursue these careers, whatever their gender may be. In reality, however, women often still face significant challenges in accessing education and work positions in these fields, with the share of women globally only representing 35% of STEM graduates and holding only a quarter of science, engineering and ICT jobs.
To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with some of the women who are part of the WORMVACS2.0 consortium, asking them to share their experiences and advice for others.
Professors, data engineers, and researchers. All of them are the women behind WORMACS2.0, working to develop a pipeline for helminth vaccine development. They explore the immunology of infections, analyse antibody immune response, create databases, produce possible vaccine candidates, and more.
They are living proof that to tackle health challenges effectively, we must harness all talent and ensure that all those interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can pursue these careers, whatever their gender may be. In reality, however, women often still face significant challenges in accessing education and work positions in these fields, with the share of women globally only representing 35% of STEM graduates and holding only a quarter of science, engineering and ICT jobs.
To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we spoke with some of the women who are part of the WORMVACS2.0 consortium, asking them to share their experiences and advice for others.
