Adoptive T-cell therapy as a therapeutic option for chronic hepatitis B.
The human hepatitis B virus is a small, enveloped and non-cytopathic virus, with a very narrow host range and a strong liver tropism causing acute and chronic liver disease. Although a well-tolerated vaccine is available, more than 350 million people are chronically infected worldwide. Available therapies for chronic hepatitis B only rarely eliminate the virus. Although new antivirals are being developed, long-term treatment is required, which may be limited by the selection of resistant viruses. Therefore, immunotherapies are investigated as an approach to eliminate persistently infected cells. Besides therapeutic vaccination, adoptive T-cell therapy is an interesting option, which is discussed in this review.
Bohne
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F
Centre for Molecular Medicine, Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Protzer
U
U
D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*