Tackling neglected tropical diseases through vaccine development: World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2025

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.