Possibility to Reestablish Immunity in Those with Hepatitis C
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Study examines ways to restore immunity to chronic hepatitis C infection
The hepatitis C virus hijacks the body’s immune system, leaving T cells unable to function. A new study in animal models suggests that blocking a protein that helps the virus thrive could restore immune function, allowing the body to fight infection. The work, led by teams at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Emory University, was published online Aug. 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Previous studies show that antibody treatments that inhibit the protein, called programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), can shrink tumors in humans. This new work suggests that anti-PD-1 antibodies might be equally effective in treating hepatitis C and other persistent human viral infections, says Christopher Walker, PhD, a senior author on the study and director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunity at Nationwide Children’s.
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