Using a specially selected library of different hepatitis C viruses, a team of researchers led by Johns Hopkins scientists has identified tiny differences in the pathogens' outer shell proteins that underpin their resistance to antibodies. The findings, reported in the January 2015 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest a reason why some patients' immune systems can't fend off hepatitis C infections, and they reveal distinct challenges for those trying to craft a successful vaccine to prevent them. Due to concerns about the rising costs of newly available hepatitis C drugs, researchers are looking to a vaccine as a more viable and less costly option.
The systems of some people who become infected with the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus launch a robust immune attack, producing antibodies that attach to a broad array of the germs with different genetic makeups. About one-third of these individuals successfully clear the pathogen from their bodies. However, says Justin Bailey, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, no single antibody has been found that can neutralize all strains of hepatitis C virus.
To better understand how hepatitis C viruses avoid even the most broadly neutralizing antibodies, Bailey; Stuart C. Ray, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and colleagues tested the power of 18 antibodies known to broadly attack the virus against a library of 19 viral strains that make up about 94 percent of the genetic variability of hepatitis C viruses in the most common genetic group, called genotype 1.
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Showing posts with label HCV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HCV. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Seattle-HIV testing in ED serves as link to care
"SEATTLE — An HIV testing program in an ED, which was originally implemented to describe the local epidemic, played a significant role in linking individuals to care, according to data presented at CROI 2015".
“Over a 25-year period, the program evolved, and this change is partially evidenced by declining undiagnosed HIV infection, increased use of antiretroviral therapy, increased viral suppression and decline in HIV incidence,” Thomas C. Quinn, MD, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during his presentation".
"Quinn and colleagues examined local trends in HIV and hepatitis C in the Johns Hopkins Hospital ED population for a 25-year period. They conducted 6- to 8-week identity-unlinked serosurveys in the ED in 1987, 1988, 1992, 2001, 2007 and 2013. The study included 18,144 eligible patients who required a blood draw for a medical reason. Excess sera were collected, and specimens underwent ELISA testing followed by Western blot (from 1992-2013). The specimens also were tested for HCV in 1988 and from 2001 to 2013".
Montreal-Hepatitis C cure rate of 97 per cent announced in study of patients co-infected with HIV given 12-week combination
MONTREAL, March 3, 2015 /CNW/ - A combination of two once-daily medications for chronic hepatitis C infection has been shown in newly released study results to cure almost all the patients who participated, despite the patients also being co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This patient population historically has been challenging to treat for hepatitis C, in large part due to potential drug-drug interactions between the antiviral therapy regimens used to treat each infection.
Results of ALLY-2, a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the investigational once-daily combination of daclatasvir and sofosbuvir for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in patients co-infected with HIV were announced last week and showed that those treated for 12 weeks (HCV treatment-naïve and -experienced), 97% (n=149/153) achieved cure (sustained virologic response 12 weeks after treatment, or SVR12).
"The data showed results that are very promising in patients that are well known as being both difficult to treat and at higher risk for developing serious liver disease, making the results all the more significant," said Dr. Stephen Shafran, Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) at the University of Alberta. "It's also important to note that we are seeing high cure rates with the daclatasvir and sofosbuvir combination regardless of the genotype of the hepatitis C infection."
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
U.S.A; Gilead Announces SVR12 Rates From Phase 3 Study Evaluating Harvoni® for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C in Patients Co-Infected With HIV
“This trial provides strong evidence that people who are co-infected with HIV can achieve very high rates of hepatitis C cure with a combination direct-acting antiviral regimen,” said Susanna Naggie , MD, MHS, Director of Infectious Diseases Research at Duke Clinical Research Institute and Principal Investigator for the ION-4 study. “These high cure rates were observed in most of the historically difficult-to-treat sub-populations, including those who failed previous treatment and those with cirrhosis. We are greatly encouraged by these findings.”
ION-4 is a Phase 3, multicenter, open-label study investigating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Harvoni treatment for 12 weeks in 335 patients with HCV genotype 1a (75 percent), 1b (23 percent) or 4 (2 percent) and HIV-1 co-infection. The study included HCV treatment-naïve (45 percent) and treatment-experienced (55 percent) patients, including patients with compensated cirrhosis (20 percent), whose HIV was suppressed using one of three HIV antiretroviral (ARV) regimens: tenofovir and emtricitabine with efavirenz (Atripla®), raltegravir or rilpivirine (Complera®).
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