About Us

Chronic HCV is associated with a significant decrease in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) lost in morbidity and increased all-cause mortality with approximately 400,000 people dying annually from HCV-related liver complications, including cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In most middle-income countries, HCV is a leading cause of infectious disease-related mortality, exceeding the mortality rates of HIV and tuberculosis.

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HCVax and our initiative to find a vaccine

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the 194 signature countries have set the ambitious goal to eliminate HCV infection as a public health threat by 2030. As of 2020, only 11 countries were on track to achieve the WHO elimination targets by 2030. However, given the current gaps in the global uptake of DAAs as the sole HCV cure, the key goal in achieving its global eradication is the development of a preventative vaccine, that protects high risk population from reinfection and significantly decrease the global burden of HCV infection.

The HCVax initiative was funded by the Australian Academy of Science to create an international collaborative HCV vaccine network. The project brings together the leaders in HCV vaccine research worldwide.  Combining the different skills of virologists and immunologists, clinicians, and epidemiologists, HCVax aims to identify and address research gaps needed to create candidate HCV vaccines, and to ensure efficient clinical evaluation 
 

HCVax Goals for 2021 to 2025

1. Form expert advisory groups (EAGs) to define and progress the key strategic areas for HCV vaccine development including vaccine development; immunogenicity; vaccine preparedness; and advocacy & funding 

2. Prioritising future initiatives, such as identification of additional vaccine candidates and establishment of controlled human inoculation protocols

3. Advise on public health strategies for vaccine implementation. 

4. Secure long-term funding for HCVax.