title: New hepatitis C virus drug discovery strategies and model systems.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide and the leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States. Current treatment options are expensive, not effective in all patients and are associated with serious side effects. Although preclinical, anti-HCV drug screening is still hampered by the lack of readily infectable small animal models, the development of cell culture HCV experimental model systems has driven a promising new wave of HCV antiviral drug discovery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review contains a concise overview of current HCV treatment options and limitations with a subsequent in-depth focus on the available experimental models and novel strategies that have, and continue to enable, important advances in HCV drug development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With a large cohort of chronically HCV-infected patients progressively developing liver disease that puts them at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic decompensation, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapeutics that are well tolerated and effective in all patients and against all HCV genotypes. Significant advances in HCV experimental model development have expedited drug discovery; however, additional progress is needed. Importantly, the current trends and momentum in the field suggests that we will continue to overcome critical experimental challenges to reach this end goal.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
authors.forename: Snawar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Naina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barretto
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Uprichard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D012093:Replicon / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents