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Projects

Hepatitis C and injecting networks

Past project

The Networks 2 project was a collaborative project that brought together qualitative and quantitative epidemiologists, social network modellers, virologists and immunologists in order to study the transmission and natural history of the hepatitis C virus in a social network of young people who inject drugs.

Objective

The aim of this project was to identify behavioural, social, genetic and other biological factors associated with hepatitis C transmission and progression to chronic hepatitis C.

Timeline

2005–2006.

Approach

Project participants were recruited from street illicit drug markets in Melbourne in 2005-2006 and followed over time. At approximately three month intervals, we conducted interviews with participants and collected blood samples. The interviews were designed to collect information about participants' risk behaviour and social connects with other people who inject drugs.

The blood samples were used to test for hepatitis C and other blood-borne viruses (hepatitis B and HIV), as well as genetic and immunological markers. In combination with traditional statistical methods, social network and other mathematical models were used to analyse the data at a population level.

Qualitative interviews were used to explore social and behavioural issues in more detail.

Research and reports

15 Dec 2010

Antigen-driven patterns of TCR bias are shared across diverse outcomes of human hepatitis C virus infection.

Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)

Miles JJ, Thammanichanond D, Moneer S, Nivarthi UK, Kjer-Nielsen L, Tracy SL, Aitken CK, Brennan RM, Zeng W, Marquart L

12 May 2009

TCD8 response in diverse outcomes of recurrent exposure to hepatitis C virus.

Immunology and cell biology

Bharadwaj M, Thammanichanond D, Aitken CK, Moneer S, Drummer HE, Tracy S, Holdsworth R, Bowden S, Jackson D, Hellard M

01 Oct 2008

Heroin-gel capsule cocktails and groin injecting practices among ethnic Vietnamese in Melbourne, Australia.

The International journal on drug policy

Higgs P, Dwyer R, Duong D, Thach ML, Hellard M, Power R, Maher L

27 Mar 2009

Markers and risk factors for HCV, HBV and HIV in a network of injecting drug users in Melbourne, Australia.

The Journal of infection

Miller ER, Hellard ME, Bowden S, Bharadwaj M, Aitken CK

12 Jan 2009

High incidence of hepatitis C virus reinfection in a cohort of injecting drug users.

Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.)

Aitken CK, Lewis J, Tracy SL, Spelman T, Bowden DS, Bharadwaj M, Drummer H, Hellard M

31 Dec 2008

Gender, culture and harm: an exploratory study of female heroin users of Vietnamese ethnicity.

Culture, health & sexuality

Higgs P, Owada K, Hellard M, Power R, Maher L

03 Jun 2008

Fiber-modified recombinant adenoviral constructs encoding hepatitis C virus proteins induce potent HCV-specific T cell response.

Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.)

Thammanichanond D, Moneer S, Yotnda P, Aitken C, Earnest-Silveira L, Jackson D, Hellard M, McCluskey J, Torresi J, Bharadwaj M

01 Feb 2008

Consecutive infections and clearances of different hepatitis C virus genotypes in an injecting drug user.

Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology

Aitken CK, Tracy SL, Revill P, Bharadwaj M, Bowden DS, Winter RJ, Hellard ME

20 Jun 2007

Integrating enhanced hepatitis C testing and counselling in research.

The International journal on drug policy

Winter R, Nguyen O, Higgs P, Armstrong S, Duong D, Thach ML, Aitken C, Hellard M

23 Sep 2004

Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in a social network of injection drug users.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Aitken CK, McCaw RF, Bowden DS, Tracy SL, Kelsall JG, Higgs PG, Kerger MJ, Nguyen H, Crofts JN

Partners

Funding partners

  • Colonial Foundation Trust
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (545891, 1126090, 2019034)

Collaborators

  • David Scott Bowden and Lilly Tracy, Victorian Infectious Diseases Laboratory
  • Philippa Pattison, Garry Robins, David Rolls and Galina Daraganova, The University of Melbourne
  • Mandvi Bharadwaj

Project contacts

Professor Margaret Hellard AM

Professor Margaret Hellard AM

Deputy Director, Programs; Adjunct Professor, Monash University, DEPM.
margaret.hellard@burnet.edu.au +61385062304
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Project team

Dr Campbell Aitken

Dr Campbell Aitken

Research Fellow
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Professor Heidi Drummer

Professor Heidi Drummer

Scientific Director for Research Translation; Scientific Director, Burnet Diagnostics Initiative; Principal Investigator, Burnet Vaccine Initiative; Co-Head, Viral Entry and Vaccines Group
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Professor Margaret Hellard AM

Professor Margaret Hellard AM

Deputy Director, Programs; Adjunct Professor, Monash University, DEPM.
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Associate Professor Peter Higgs

Associate Professor Peter Higgs

Principal Research Fellow; Honorary Associate Professor, Department of Public Health, La Trobe University
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Dr Rachel Sacks-Davis

Dr Rachel Sacks-Davis

Senior Research Fellow
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