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Dr. Jeffrey Joy

People and Populations

Dr. Jeffrey Joy, Postdoctoral Fellow at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Vancouver likes the big picture, but the small one is pretty interesting too. As an evolutionary geneticist, Dr. Joy analyzes the genetic relationships between viral variants of HIV and the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), across the Canadian population, within populations, and within single individuals. Through examination of multiple scales and their connection, he believes we can make broader inferences about the processes shaping the epidemic.

The rapid mutation rates of HIV and HCV mean that genetic changes accrue on an observable timescale (weeks to months). By inferring phylogenetic trees viral lineages can be traced back to common ancestors, and therefore, to a specific moment in time, a property that facilitates inferences about the epidemiological processes structuring epidemics.

Dr. Joy is currently conducting several studies looking at the genetics of HIV from a subset of the Canadian population. As part of HIV clinical care, samples of the virus are taken from HIV+ patients in British Columbia and Dr. Joy is working with anonymized sequences sampled from over 7700 patients. “British Columbia has one of the most comprehensively sampled epidemics in the world, and we can put these data together with data from across Canada to make broader inferences about both the external influences on the BC epidemic and the Canadian HIV epidemic as a whole,” says Dr. Joy. Changes in viral genetics over time in a population and in a person allow inferences to be drawn about the prevalence, incidence, and demographics of new infections in the past and present. Dr. Joy’s most recent work details, from a genetic perspective, the history of the British Columbia HIV epidemic among various at risk populations. A surprising wealth of epidemiological information is contained in the viral sequence data, and Dr. Joy continues to extract more information about the epidemic as a whole including determining geographic areas where drug resistance is common and the influence of HIV treatment and the suppression of viral load on transmission rates within a community.

When it comes to the small picture, Dr. Joy zooms in from the population level to a single individual. The HIV virus mutates within a person, and an individual will carry numerous variants. These variants may occupy different cellular reservoirs (tissue types/cell types) in the body. “How the virus compartmentalizes within a patient is something we don’t have as much information about as we do the larger scale population dynamics,” explains Dr. Joy. “We don’t know how different HIV population genetic parameters within a person operate to shape the different reservoirs. We’d like to better understand which reservoirs within the body the viruses circulating in the blood plasma originate.” This research has important implications for understanding how drugs affect the virus in different cellular reservoirs of the body, since drugs vary in their ability to enter different body compartments.

It’s the wealth of information in these data sets that Dr. Joy finds inspiring. “There are mountains of data to work with, and I like the practical utility analyzing these data has for both population level public health and influencing treatment at an individual level”, says Dr. Joy. “For me, the questions are simultaneously interesting and useful to other people.” He hopes that the work he is doing can contribute broadly to the efforts to control the epidemic. “At the population level I hope we can help to identify populations where focused intervention can be most effective, in areas where the epidemic is increasing.” Dr. Joy explains. “Within an individual, I hope that the analyses we are doing are going to make treatments better and help us understand how to target the virus more effectively.”

The Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR), the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) and the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI) Research and Development Alliance Coordinating Office (ACO) would like to congratulate Dr. Joy for his significant contributions to our understanding of HIV. His work is part of a larger Canadian research effort that is making a difference in the lives of those affected by HIV in Canada and around the world.

Our Mission

  • Promote excellence in HIV research
  • Foster collaboration and cooperation among HIV research communities, including basic science, clinical science, epidemiology & public health and social science
  • Promote education and the development of new researchers
  • Provide a unified voice for Canadian HIV researchers and engage diverse stakeholders (community, industry, Government, NGO’s etc.) in ongoing dialogue and knowledge exchange to ensure that HIV research remains responsive to their needs
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CAHR 2023
April 27 to 30, 2023

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About CAHR

With a membership of more than 1,000 researchers and others interested in HIV research, the Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) is the leading organization of HIV/AIDS researchers in Canada. CAHR is the organizing body for the Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR Conference).

CAHR encourages Canadian researchers to be leaders in knowledge translation and to effectively respond both to the Canadian and global HIV/AIDS epidemics. Since its founding in 1991, CAHR has promoted excellence in HIV research, including mentorship and career development of investigators entering the field.

CAHR fosters collaboration and co-operation among HIV research communities, including basic, clinical and social sciences, epidemiology and public health. CAHR also engages people living with HIV/AIDS and AIDS service organizations in ongoing dialogue and information exchange to ensure that HIV/AIDS research remains responsive to the epidemic and its stakeholders.

CAHR is a registered charity.

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