St Vincent’s Infectious Diseases and Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Programs design and conduct world leading trials in many fields of interest including HIV, hepatitis C and B, COVID-19 and other pathogens of concern, particularly amongst marginalised populations. In conjunction with programs at The Kirby Institute, research leaders Professor Gail Matthews and Professor Greg Dore bridge the gap between research and clinical medicine by bringing global trials and innovation to the St Vincent’s Precinct.
Therapeutic and Vaccine Research Program (TVRP)
Studies led by TVRP (Program Head: Professor Gail Matthews) have been instrumental in defining the current standard of treatment for HIV globally.
TVRP are leaders in conducting trials that focus on optimising HIV treatments in settings with limited resources and on reducing the long-term health impacts of HIV worldwide, including the SMART and START studies.
TVRP provides global leadership via its role as an International Coordinating Centre for the STRIVE (Strategies and Treatments for Respiratory Infections and Viral Emergencies) network, a major international collaboration for the conduct of large clinical trials in HIV and other viruses, which has more than 300 sites in 30 countries. As part of this network, TVRP functions as the Sydney Coordinating Centre for sites in Australia, Singapore, S Korea, Japan, Thailand, India, Nigeria and Argentina. Within Australia, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney acts as the lead Australian site for these studies.
Infectious Diseases / Viral Hepatitis Research Service
The St Vincent’s Infectious Diseases (ID) / Viral Hepatitis Research service (Program Head: Professor Greg Dore) also provides global leadership in the areas of Hepatitis C and B. The Viral Hepatitis Service at St Vincent’s Hospital was established by Professor Dore in 1999, and the service has developed into one of the leading hepatitis C treatment services in Australia and internationally.
The service has a particular focus on marginalised populations, including people who inject drugs and homeless persons. The Viral Hepatitis Clinical Research Program at Kirby Institute has pioneered groundbreaking trials in hepatitis C treatment and elimination with key areas of research including the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis C, particularly in the setting of injecting drug use – most of these international studies have been conducted through St Vincents Hospital as part of a global network.
Current areas of research for the ID/Viral Hepatitis service include hepatitis B, short course therapies for HCV and injecting related infections, and emerging respiratory diseases.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the partnership between St Vincents Hospital and the Kirby Institute enabled the establishment of the ADAPT Long COVID cohort. Findings from ADAPT included one of the first evaluations of the pathogenesis for Long COVID published in Nature Immunology and one of the most highly cited and influential research articles of the pandemic.
