Breakthrough immunotherapy for Chronic Hepatitis B virus infection

[aov77]

Exciting stuff

http://www.fox14tv.com/story/36074826/breakthrough-immunotherapy-for-chronic-hepatitis-b-virus-infection

[Liverpatient]

Thanks for posting this very promising research on the treatment of chronic hbv. The research is at preliminary in vitro or animal experiment level, hence far from clinical tests, but the results obtained are very encouraging as it could revitalise the crippled T-cell immune response in chronic hbv patients.

A quote from the research paper:

"Adoptive transfer of T cells engineered to express a hepatitis B virus–specific (HBV-specific) T cell receptor (TCR) may supplement HBV-specific immune responses in chronic HBV patients and facilitate HBV control. However, the risk of triggering unrestrained proliferation of permanently engineered T cells raises safety concerns that have hampered testing of this approach in patients. The aim of the present study was to generate T cells that transiently express HBV-specific TCRs using mRNA electroporation and to assess their antiviral and pathogenetic activity in vitro and in HBV-infected human liver chimeric mice. We assessed virological and gene-expression changes using quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR), immunofluorescence, and Luminex technology. HBV-specific T cells lysed HBV-producing hepatoma cells in vitro. In vivo, 3 injections of HBV-specific T cells caused progressive viremia reduction within 12 days of treatment in animals reconstituted with haplotype-matched hepatocytes, whereas viremia remained stable in mice receiving irrelevant T cells redirected toward hepatitis C virus–specific TCRs. Notably, increases in alanine aminotransferase levels, apoptotic markers, and human inflammatory cytokines returned to pretreatment levels within 9 days after the last injection. T cell transfer did not trigger inflammation in uninfected mice. These data support the feasibility of using mRNA electroporation to engineer HBV TCR–redirected T cells in patients with chronic HBV infection."

For those interested for a closer look at the research here is a link:
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/93024

[aov77]

Here to share & learn. You're welcome :)

[Jatashankar]

Wow if that therapy succeeds then one will have to go to Singapore coz technology transfer won't be feasible to the rest of world.
It sounds good but very uncertain that it will go without creating any complications during treatment. Anyways lets wait and see for further trials on more individuals.

[cosbyosomo]

Great news but whatever body is involved in facilitating it should or otherwise I would say they are devils incarnate and are promoting the spread of HBV especially the US.