Viral hepatitis, particularly hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV), is amongst the leading causes of death worldwide. There is an effective vaccine and treatment for hepatitis B and recent years have seen a transformation in hepatitis C treatment. This progress has led the World Health Organization to advocate ambitious targets for the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health challenge.
This Forum will explore areas of work at Imperial focussed on meeting this challenge.
Speakers include:
- Professor Graham Cooke, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine – ‘Accelerating the elimination of vital Hepatitis’
- Professor Timothy Hallett, Professor of Global Health, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine – ‘Can HBV and HCV be eliminated as a public health threat?’
- Dr Marcus Dorner, Non-Clinical Lecturer in Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine – ‘Functional versus complete cure of hepatitis B virus infection. Evaluating feasibility using 3D liver-on-a-chip cultures’
- Bryony Simmons, Research Assistant, Imperial College Business School – ‘Do voluntary licences improve access to treatment for hepatitis C?’
- Dr Shevanthi Nayagam, Clinical Lecturer and Hepatology Specialist Registrar, Department of Surgery & Cancer, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology – ‘Hepatitis B Birth Dose Vaccination – successes and challenges