Scripps Research Institute scientists find promising vaccine targets on hepatitis C virus

A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has found antibodies that can prevent infection from widely differing strains of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in cell culture and animal models.

HCV’s very high rate of mutation normally helps it to evade its host’s immune system. The newly discovered antibodies, however, attach to sites on the viral envelope that seldom mutate. One of the new antibodies, AR4A, shows broader HCV neutralizing activity than any previously reported anti-HCV antibody.

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MIT: Stem cells could drive hepatitis research forward

Hepatitis C, an infectious disease that can cause inflammation and organ failure, has different effects on different people. But no one is sure why some people are very susceptible to the infection, while others are resistant.

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Combination of oral drugs suppresses common type of hepatitis C

Ann Arbor, Mich. – A new combination of investigational drugs successfully suppressed hepatitis C genotype 1 infection in a high percent of patients who had not responded to previous treatment in a study led by a University of Michigan hepatologist.

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UBC researchers identify potential new therapy approach for hepatitis C

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found a new way to block infection from the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the liver that could lead to new therapies for those affected by this and other infectious diseases.

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Two-thirds of hepatitis C patients can see a cure in half the time, new study finds

Treatment with a telaprevir-based combination regimen for hepatitis C – heretofore a chronic, destructive and difficult to manage disease – effectively can be shortened to six months in about two-thirds of patients, finds a new study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Breakthrough opens new avenues for hep C vaccine

Hopes for an effective vaccine and treatment against the potentially fatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) have received a major boost following the discovery of two ‘Achilles’ heels’ within the virus.

A team of medical researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) studied individuals at high risk of HCV infection, including a number identified within a few weeks of the onset of infection.

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PATH B — a comprehensive support program for patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B

• Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world, with 30 million new infections every year[1], yet there remains a lack of reliable resources for patients and caregivers
• PATH B is a new programme that provides information and tools to guide patients through the stages of chronic hepatitis B; from diagnosis to long term disease management

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Will new drugs block hepatitis C virus in its tracks?

Targeted multi-drug treatments for hepatitis C patients that could stop the virus in its tracks have come a step closer, thanks to researchers at the University of Leeds, UK.

The study by Dr Stephen Griffin and colleagues, published in the journal Hepatology, reveals how two prototype small molecule drugs, known as p7 inhibitors, can each attack different parts of the hepatitis C virus. Their findings suggest that p7 inhibitors could be a powerful way of suppressing hepatitis C, when used together with the latest generation of ‘direct-acting’ drugs.

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First vaccine for viral hepatitis C could become a reality

Berlin, Germany, Friday 01 April 2011: Early data from phase I trials of an HCV vaccine presented today at the International Liver CongressTM show encouraging results, with high immunogenicity and good safety profile.1,2

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Drug cocktail offers new hope for hepatitis C patients

A three-drug cocktail can eliminate the hepatitis C virus in patients far more effectively than the current two-drug regimen, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

“This study represents a remarkable advance and a potential cure for people with hepatitis C who have not responded to previous therapy,” says co-author Stuart C. Gordon, M.D., section chief for the Division of Hepatology at Henry Ford Hospital.

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