title: New therapeutic options for HCV infection in the monoclonal antibody era.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and the most common indication for liver transplantation. Current therapies are ineffective in a relevant percentage of patients raising the urgent medical need to develop adequate therapies for this infection. Broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against the HCV E2 glycoprotein (HCV/E2), the major target of the neutralizing humoral immune response, are considered as a possible novel therapeutic strategy for this infection. In the last few years, several anti-HCV/E2 human mAbs have been described in literature to be possibly used for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes. In this review, we illustrate the best candidates for an anti-HCV mAb-based therapy, considering their cross-neutralization profiles and their ability to overcome possible viral escape mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology, Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milano, Italy. sautto.giuseppe@hsr.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe Andrea
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Sautto
authors.forename: Roberta Antonia
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Diotti
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clementi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C091015:glycoprotein E2, Hepatitis C virus