"golden age of molecular virology for this virus"

[portann]

Persistence key to tracking viruses such as hepatitis C

5/08/2009 -

Charles Rice, Ph.D., joked at last week's Discovery Lecture that his career trajectory took a “downward spiral” when he decided to study the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

“This has been certainly one of the most challenging and nearly intractable viruses to work on, and it's taken us almost these two decades (since genetic isolation of HCV) to really get to a place where we can do the kinds of molecular virology research that is in place for other viruses,” said Rice, the Maurice R. and Corinne P. Greenberg Chair in Virology at The Rockefeller University.

His persistence has paid off. A few years ago, Rice and his colleagues established a robust cell culture replication system for HCV, which has opened new opportunities for investigating this pathogen.

“I think this really represents the golden age of molecular virology for this virus, because we have so many tools now, and it has also become a very exciting time in the translation of these studies into the clinic,” said Rice, who also is the scientific and executive director of the Center for the Study of Hepatitis C.

http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=7231

[lalapple]

http://hcvadvocate.org/community/Alert_Apri_22_09.htm

[lalapple]

increased funding for hepatitis to $50 Million