Our Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program undertakes world-class epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory research that improves outcomes for people living with viral hepatitis. We conduct ethical research and actively engage with affected communities, particularly people who inject drugs, and the broader viral hepatitis sector.
Clinical research and clinical trials form a significant part of our work; however, we have established a viral hepatitis sample repository, HepBank, for molecular virology and other laboratory-based research. We also conduct epidemiological research, including monitoring hepatitis C (HCV) treatment uptake, data linkage studies to evaluate viral hepatitis disease burden and impact of new therapies, and mathematical modelling.
In therapeutic research, our key areas of focus are treatment of acute and chronic HCV, particularly in the setting of injecting drug use. Our research also focuses on HIV and HCV, and HIV and hepatitis B (HBV) coinfection. Simplified HCV diagnostics and linkage to treatment is emerging as an important focus for our program, with future directions including strategies to enhance HCV management in resource-limited settings. We have several projects in HCV treatment as prevention and HCV elimination, and collaborate broadly within Australia and internationally on strategies to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.
