The R. Geigy Foundation honours efforts to overcome ’neglected tropical diseases

Giovanna Raso and Jean Coulibaly are the awardees of the R. Geigy-Award 2016 and will share a CHF 20,000 prize in honour of their efforts to fight neglected helminth infections in West Africa. To commemorate the spirit and the achievements of Rudolf Geigy, the founder of the Swiss Tropical Institute, the R. Geigy Foundation confers the prize every second year to distinguished young scholars in the field of tropical and neglected diseases. More than a billion people worldwide are exposed to infections with hookworms, whipworms or flukes. These infections cause diarrhoea, fever, liver disease or anaemia and constitute a considerable health burden, especially for children living in low-income countries. Yet, worldwide, only a few research grants are available to fight these nasty parasites. Researchers, Giovanna Raso and Jean Coulibaly, seek to overcome this situation by better understanding the epidemiology of helminth infections and other poverty-related diseases and by developing novel diagnostics and therapies. The R. Geigy Foundation honours the achievements of the two scientists with a prize worth CHF 20,000.