Grant: Training Grant

Hepatitis C infection remains a serious health problem both worldwide and in Canada. It is estimated that over 250 000 Canadians are chronically infected and over 6000 new cases occur each year. The annual death rate in Canada from Hepatitis C is 4700. Moreover, at least 15% of HIV-infected individuals are co-infected with hepatitis C. The majority but by no means all new cases of Hepatitis C are observed in current and former injection drug users, Aboriginals and new immigrants. Over the last 5 years, the National Canadian Research Training Program has gathered 30 stellar Canadian mentors in clinical, social and basic sciences such as virology, addiction, HCV-HIV co-infection, nursing, molecular biology, immunology, etc. The program has recruited 23 students all of whom participate in a transdisciplinary curriculum. This proposal is targeted at renewing and further developing the program to increase student recruitment, strengthen its transdisciplinary component and enable collaborative research initiatives among the mentors and with colleagues internationally, the common goal being to eradicate hepatitis C and avoid complications in currently infected individuals.