Location:
The Kirby Institute Level 6 Seminar Room Wallace Wurth Building UNSW Australia Sydney NSW 2052
Open to
All
Contact for enquiries
Rata Joseph +61 (0)2 9385 0900 rjoseph@kirby.unsw.edu.au
The Kirby Institute is pleased to present:
"Strategies to enhance diagnosis, linkage to care and treatment for hepatitis C: Update from the 2016 International Liver Congress."
Dr Tanya Applegate -Senior Lecturer The Kirby Institute & Associate Professor Jason Grebely -Senior Research Fellow, The Kirby Institute
Abstract:
Globally, the availability of simple, tolerable interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most exciting advances in clinical medicine in recent decades. However, the proportion of people tested, and linked to HCV care remains sub-optimal. As such, despite the availability of these exciting new therapies, novel interventions to enhance the HCV cascade of care are required. The 2016 International Liver Congress was held from April 13-17 in Barcelona, Spain. Exciting data from this conference will be presented including novel strategies to enhance testing/diagnosis, models for improving linkage to care, real-world experiences with HCV DAA therapies, and exciting new therapeutic developments.
Bio:
Dr Tanya Applegate is a Senior Lecturer in the Viral Hepatitis and Clinical Research Program at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia and leads the Hepatitis C research laboratory team. The HCV research laboratory is responsible for managing all clinical samples from VHCRP-driven clinical trials and cohorts, and also facilitates all translational research conducted on these samples, including original research within the lab. Tanya has a strong interest in HCV translational research, focusing on the development and implementation of molecular diagnostics to improve HCV health care, particularly among marginalised populations and those living in lower and middle-income countries.
Associate Professor Jason Grebely is an NHRMC Career Development Fellow in the Viral Hepatitis Clinical Program at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia. Jason’s research has contributed to understanding the epidemiology and natural history of HCV; evidence supporting the care of HCV among PWID; the development of international recommendations for the management of HCV among PWID; and has informed state-based, national, and international strategies for viral hepatitis. He has published 120 peer-reviewed publications and has current research funding from the Canadian CIHR, Australian NHMRC and the US NIH. Jason is an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Drug Policy, PLOS One and BMC Infectious Diseases.