I’m pleased to announce our department seminar speaker for Friday September 26th. Dr. Angela Crawley (Associate Scientist, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute) will be delivering a talk entitled “Chronic hepatitis C virus infection impairs T-cell responses: Implications for HIV co-infection and responses to other pathogens”. Dr. Crawley is a candidate for an Adjunct research professor in the Department of Biology.

Hosted by the McKay Lab.

Abstract:
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection occurs in 80% of infected individuals, leading to cirrhosis,hepatocarcinoma and end-stage liver disease. Despite new direct-acting antivirals (DAA), treatment failures (»15%), reinfection rates after spontaneous clearance or treatment (e.g i.v. drug users), viral resistance, treatment cost (»$100K) and no vaccine, challenge >170 million infected globally (3% of Can. pop.). Previous standard therapies were 50% effective, with serious side-effects. It is imperative that our limited understanding of HCV immunopathogenesis and the long term immunological effects of chronic infection or and new treatments be improved. Effective immune responses to HCV include anti-viral cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell (CTL) activity, which is impaired in chronic infection. We identified generalized blood and liver-associated CTL impairment in chronic HCV mono-infection and HIV co-infection, the #1 co-morbidity in 25% of HIV+ individuals. This has implications for non-HCV vaccine-induced CTL responses, such as to next generation preventative vaccines (e.g. cross strain protective seasonal flu) requiring strong T-cell immunity, and more importantly, the T-cell immunity required for the much needed future HCV therapeutic vaccines to counter reinfection risk. Of particular concern is HIV-HCV co-infection, marked by faster liver disease progression and dual causes of CTL deficiency. Research findings will ultimately improve chronic HCV infection care in Canada and beyond, and may apply to other immunity-damaging chronic diseases (e.g. HIV, malaria, helminthes, autoimm.).