Trinity researchers are among the members of an organising committee that will this week host the 25th International Symposium on Hepatitis C and other related viruses in the RDS.
Over 300 delegates from 27 different countries will attend the symposium from October 8th to 11th. It will bring together researchers, clinicians and public health experts to discuss the latest developments in research and patient care for Hepatitis, as well as for other illnesses such as the Zika virus.
This year’s symposium will include the first public outreach session in the symposium, connecting Irish healthcare providers with patients. It is partnered with the Irish Hepatitis C Outcomes Research Network and features researchers from St James’s Hospital, the University of Leeds and the University of Glasgow in addition to the researchers from Trinity.
Hepatitis C is a virus that targets and damages the liver, causing inflammation and liver scarring known as fibrosis, which can progress in some patients to cause serious liver damage, known as cirrhosis. Often referred to as the silent disease, Hepatitis can be life-threatening, as symptoms may take years to develop and so sufferers go without treatment. Recently, however, Hepatitis C has become a curable disease, as scientific advancements have led to new treatments with a 95 per cent chance of cure. The goal is to now enhance the quality of the available treatments and care for infected individuals and to work towards a complete eradication of the disease globally.
In a press statement, Dr Nigel Stevenson, an Assistant Professor of Immunology in Trinity and a Co-Chair of the organising committee, said: “It is our privilege to host the 25th meeting of the Hepatitis and Related viruses Symposium here in Dublin. The Silver Anniversary meeting is an opportunity to celebrate the journey, from discovery to cure, researchers and health care providers have made with Hepatitis C.”
“The outstanding research that has developed a cure for Hepatitis C should now be harnessed in the development of a vaccine. Indeed, we can also learn from the success of Hepatitis C research in the development of new therapeutics against related viruses including ZIKA and Dengue”, he said.
