Almost a quarter of a million Australians are estimated to be living with hepatitis B - a disease that kills more than 800,000 people worldwide every year.
Dr Thomas Tu is a world-renowned hepatitis B researcher who has a very personal motivation to discover more of its secrets.
Nineteen years ago he was diagnosed with the disease.
The Sydney medical scientist has detected a particular form of the virus that lingers in a chronically ill patient's liver.
He'll present his findings to a meeting of international experts in Melbourne that will commit to fast-tracking a cure within ten years.