Loading...
Publication: Advances with RNAi-based therapy for Hepatitis B virus infection
van den Berg, F. Limani, S. W. Mnyandu, N. Ely, A. Arbuthnot, P. Maepa, M. B.
van den Berg, F.
Limani, S. W.
Mnyandu, N.
Ely, A.
Arbuthnot, P.
Maepa, M. B.
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a global health challenge. Approximately 292 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HBV and the annual mortality from the infection is approaching 900,000. Despite the availability of an effective prophylactic vaccine, millions of individuals are at risk of potentially fatal complicating cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current drug treatments can suppress viral replication, slow the progression of liver fibrosis, and reduce infectivity, but can rarely clear the viral covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) that is responsible for HBV persistence. Alternative therapeutic strategies, including those based on viral gene silencing by harnessing the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway, effectively suppress HBV replication and thus hold promise. RNAi-based silencing of certain viral genes may even lead to disabling of cccDNA during chronic infection. This review summarizes different RNAi activators that have been tested against HBV, the advances with vectors used to deliver artificial potentially therapeutic RNAi sequences to the liver, and the current status of preclinical and clinical investigation.
Description
Date
2020-08-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
RNAi,Hepatitis B,Infection,Therapy for Hepatitis B,Virus
Citation
van den Berg F, Limani SW, Mnyandu N, et al. Advances with RNAi-based therapy for Hepatitis B virus infection. Viruses. 2020 Aug 4;12(8):851. doi:10.3390/v12080851.