In the news
6 Sep 2008
10 August 2006
Test-tube breakthrough in hepatitis research
Scientists at Rockefeller University in New York recently made a major breakthrough by culturing an infectious form of the hepatitis C virus in the test tube for the first time.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes long-term and sometimes fatal liver disease, infecting an estimated 200 million people worldwide. Research into hepatitis C has long been hampered by an inability to get the virus to grow in the test tube.
With no test-tube model, many HCV researchers have instead conducted experiments with infected monkeys, chimpanzees and mice. Chimpanzees are the only species apart from humans that are naturally susceptible to HCV infection although, unlike humans, they don’t develop progressive liver damage.
Despite animal experiments, there is still little understanding of how HCV penetrates the body¹s defences (immune system) or exactly how new treatments might work. Now that a system for culturing the virus in human cells in vitro has been achieved, it will help scientists to understand how the virus causes illness and to explore preventative measures.
The test-tube studies have already identified a protein, called CD81, that sits on the surface of cells and plays a crucial role in allowing the entry of HCV into human cells. Finding methods of blocking HCV entry into human cells could lead to improved treatments and save lives.
Source: Lindenbach BD et al (2005). Complete replication of hepatitis C virus in cell culture. Science 309:623-626.
