Anti-viral therapy of chronic hepatitis B and C

This group are organised around an MRC Cooperative and a framework 6 ‘Centres of Excellence Network’.

An MRC Cooperative on ‘New Approaches to treatment of chronic viral hepatitis’ is focused on:

• Identification of the genetic factors influencing the outcome of viral hepatitis using micro-satellite linkage and allele association studies, conducted in large cohorts of European (UK and others) and African patients. These studies, which are in collaboration with Professor Adrian Hill, are directed towards development of prognostic and predictive systems to identify those likely to need and respond to anti-viral therapy thereby making therapy more cost-effective;
• Development of improved therapy for chronic viral hepatitis using national and international trials, including one conducted on behalf of the NHS HTA in mild hepatitis C and several commercially sponsored trials;
• Use of microbubble techniques and ultrasound to deliver gene therapy to the liver.

European Centre of Excellence Network involved in determining mechanisms of anti-viral resistance in viral hepatitis will allow us to look at host factors influencing response to therapy using allele association approaches in large European cohorts of patients treated with interferons and gene array approaches to study the effect of HCV proteins, including HCV NS3 protease, on the interferon response.