World Immunisation Week 2025: LINQ projects strengthening the impact of current and future vaccines
On World Immunisation Week, we celebrate one of humanity’s greatest achievements. In the 50 years between 1974 and 2024, vaccines saved 154 million lives, of which 146 million are children under the age of 5. The successes of thriving and ever-developing vaccine research have brought us vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases. All these medical discoveries help people live longer and healthier lives, protecting public health in unprecedented ways.
Building on a solid base of existing vaccine knowledge and aiming to widen its scope, researchers keep exploring new and exciting aspects of immunisation, from vaccine development to ensuring that safe and effective vaccines reach the people who need them.
LINQ is proud to support several such research projects with a variety of services encompassing project management and communications. Some of our projects undertake vaccine research at various levels, while others work on improving vaccines’ accessibility and closing the health gap. Some scientists focus on widespread pathogens such as Heliobacter pylori, while others tackle Neglected Tropical Diseases such as schistosomiasis. And while some of the work is done in labs, other projects explore the realities of vaccine trial infrastructure and people’s views on vaccines.
No matter the topic or level of research, all these projects are similar in one crucial way. They bring together experts from around the world to strengthen the impact of current and future vaccines.
Here are the projects in our current portfolio that address immunisation.
IMPRINT: Improving maternal and newborn health through vaccine research and innovation
IMPRINT supports research, networking, and public engagement in the field of maternal and neonatal immunisation. With over 450 members from 55 countries, IMPRINT supports challenge-led interdisciplinary research addressing key challenges in the best use of vaccines in pregnancy and in newborns. The long-term goal of the network is to contribute to improved maternal and newborn health globally through the safe and effective use of vaccines.
Learn more about IMPRINT-supported projects here.
Network
IMPRINT is an inter-disciplinary network that brings together stakeholders from basic science, immunology, vaccinology, social sciences, industry, public health and national and international policy makers who seek to improve maternal and newborn health through vaccine research and innovation. It is coordinated by Network Director Prof Beate Kampmann (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Co-Director Dr Chrissie Jones (University of Southampton).
Meet the team here.
Funder
UK’s Medical Research Council
PROTECT: Laying the foundations for the decade of maternal vaccines
The PROTECT consortium is supporting medical sites in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Uganda to establish pregnancy registries and surveillance of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in newborns to determine incidence rates and measure the burden of disease. With better reporting systems, medical sites will in the future be able to participate in vaccine trials and monitor vaccine safety. At the same time, the consortium is working to understand the drivers of vaccine hesitancy and to develop culturally appropriate communication tools to facilitate engagement with vaccines.
Learn more about the project activities here.
Consortium
The PROTECT consortium is built upon a longstanding collaboration between MUJHU, Uganda (Scientific Project Lead) and the clinical partners in Kenya, Mozambique and Malawi, supported by European partners. It brings together four sites in Africa which are uniquely suited to set up a network for maternal vaccination studies. The consortium is coordinated by the Instituto de Salud Global Barcelona (ISGLOBAL) in Spain.
Meet the team here.
Funder
Global Health EDCTP3
Vax2Muc: Next-generation vaccines against moderate inflammation gastrointestinal mucosal pathogens
Vax2Muc researchers are working to lower the burden of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), the most common bacterial infection and the leading cause of gastric cancer. Treatment of the infection includes antibiotics, but bacteria’s resistance to these drugs is growing. In the quest to find alternatives to the prevention and treatment of H. pylori, the consortium is focusing on vaccine development.
Find out more about project activities here.
Consortium
The multidisciplinary and multisectoral Vax2Muc consortium brings together five universities, three research organisations and two SMEs. It is coordinated by the Technical University of Munich in Germany.
Meet the team here.
Funder
Horizon Europe
WORMVACS2.0: Innovations for vaccines against helminth infections
The WORMVACS2.0 consortium aims to tackle parasitic worm infections caused by soil-transmitted hookworms and snail-borne schistosomes, which are some of the world’s most devastating and persistent neglected tropical diseases. Consortium’s research contributes to a better understanding of how immunity against worm infections develops to support vaccine development. Ultimately, the consortium plans to establish an effective pipeline for parasitic worm vaccine development.
Learn more about project activities here.
Consortium
The WORMVACS2.0 consortium brings together experts in hookworm and schistosome immunology, epidemiology and vaccine development from various institutes in Europe, Africa, the United States of America, and Australia. It is led by the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands.
Meet the team here.
Funder
Horizon Europe
