For hepatitis C sufferers

Adelaide scientists will lead a $2 million five-year project to develop new vaccines and explore better treatment options for hepatitis C sufferers.

University of Adelaide virologists Dr Michael Beard and Dr Karla Helbig will work with colleagues from the University of NSW to develop new strategies to treat and prevent hepatitis C, which infects more than 170 million people around the world.

The scientists, who are also attached to the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science and Royal Adelaide Hospital, hope to identify antiviral proteins that can be used in the fight against hepatitis C.

Currently there is no effective vaccine and the existing treatment is expensive and often causes severe side effects. The success rate also varies between 50-80% so many sufferers cannot be helped by current approaches.

The funds, awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), are part of a larger $17.7 million joint program grant, tackling both HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C and involving nine scientists from across Australia.
This latest grant is an adjunct to three NHMRC project grants awarded to Dr Beard’s team in the past two years specifically for hepatitis C research.

In 2006 the virologist was awarded more than $894,000 to investigate the link between alcohol and hepatitis C, and the basic mechanisms of liver disease.

“In Australia, more than 264,000 people have been infected with the hepatitis C virus and there are approximately 10,000 new infections per year. A proportion of these are intravenous drug users, with alcohol playing a significant role in disease progression,” Dr Beard said.

He said vaccines had been trialled for HIV, but with little success. “There is antiretroviral treatment but this does not eradicate HIV, it only keeps it under control for a period of time. It is also very expensive and therefore not accessible on a global scale”.

Take Action to Prevent Cancer

As part of National Cancer Prevention Month in February, experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center encourage participation in cancer prevention studies to help researchers learn more about the causes of cancer and how to avoid the disease.
Cancer prevention studies are designed for people who have not been diagnosed with cancer or for those who have successfully completed cancer treatment. Today’s standard cancer prevention recommendations are the results of research data from past prevention studies.

Hawk predicts prevention studies will begin to focus more on populations with a high risk of developing cancer, such as persons with a family history of cancer (mother, father, brother or sister) as well as those with a personal history of cancer.

High-risk populations are likely to benefit most from taking medications, adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors that may reduce risk or both. Studies involving high-risk populations also can lay the groundwork for follow-up studies addressing those at lower risk of developing cancer.
A large percentage of the nation’s cancer prevention trials are taking place at M. D. Anderson. Hawk’s extensive involvement in cancer prevention studies gives him insight into ways to expand and enhance M. D. Anderson’s role in the field.

People who participate in prevention studies at M. D. Anderson may take medicines, vitamins or other supplements, or obtain screening exams that may lower their risks of developing cancer. Some prevention studies may collect demographic, lifestyle, medical and family history information to learn more about the causes of cancer and how to prevent them.

The Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences is one the largest cancer prevention programs in the nation. It was established to learn more about the causes of cancer, encourage people to adopt health lifestyle habits that may prevent cancer and develop effective medication that lowers cancer risk.