Location:
Berg Family Foundation Seminar Room, Level 6, Wallace Wurth Building, Kensington Campus, UNSW Sydney
Kirby Institute Seminar Series presents
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PhD Student, Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program, Kirby Institute |
About your speaker
Evan Cunningham received his BSc (Hons) from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada between 2009 and 2013. Research for his Honours was done in the field of animal cell technology. After graduating, Evan has done research in the areas of cell culture media formulation and characterization of a nitrogen excretion pathway Since receiving the NCRTP-HepC scholarship, Evan has begun a PhD at the University of New South Wales under supervisors Jason Grebely, Tanya Applegate, Andrew Lloyd, and Greg Dore. His research is focused on the phylogenetics and epidemiology of hepatitis C mixed infection and reinfection.
Abstract
The advent of novel, highly efficacious, and well tolerated hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies could potentially lead to the elimination of HCV in many settings globally. A better understanding of HCV transmission and treatment among people who inject drugs (PWID) is needed for this potential to be realised.
The broad aim of this research was to inform prevention and treatment of HCV infection in PWID. Specific aims included the evaluation of injecting risk behaviours and incidence of HCV infection among PWID in an Australian prison setting; to investigate HCV transmission via phylogenetic analyses in a population of street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada; and to evaluate adherence to pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy and sofosbuvir/velpatasvir therapy among PWID.
A catered lunch will be provided at 12:30pm. Please RSVP to recpt@kirby.unsw.edu.au by COB Friday 29 September.