The European project SHIELD (Strategies for Health Interventions to Eliminate Infection-related Cancer) aims to improve the prevention of cancers caused by infections, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable populations, and brings together 69 partners from 25 countries.
The project, running from November 2025 to October 2028 and funded by the European Union, aims to reduce infection-related cancers — many of which are preventable — by improving access to prevention and vaccination services and addressing the barriers that limit their uptake.
Within the consortium, coordinated by the CHIP research centre at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, the University of Pisa leads several initiatives targeting people with multiple vulnerabilities and contributes to activities focused on the prison setting. In particular, it coordinates a pilot action on the provision of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and takes part in prison-based activities, including staff training, information for people in detention and support for the organisation of healthcare services.
“The SHIELD project allows us to bring prevention to places where it is hardest to reach,” explains Professor Lara Tavoschi of the Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, the project lead for the University of Pisa. “In prisons, we are working on access to vaccination and healthcare services, with the aim of expanding prevention opportunities for people in detention. Thanks to the collaboration between healthcare institutions, universities and European research centres, SHIELD seeks to develop shared models to strengthen prevention and reduce the impact of infection-related cancers across Europe.”
