title: Overcoming hurdles in hepatitis C virus research: efficient production of infectious virus in cell culture.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus is a flavivirus that infects nearly 2% of the world population. There is no vaccine available and current therapy with interferon and ribavirin is expensive, not well tolerated and effective in only 60% of patients. HCV research has been hampered by the lack of a robust tissue culture system, but recent advances have made virus growth in culture possible. Here we review the current state-of-the-art and the molecular hurdles that have been met and those that still need to be overcome.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Hepatitis and Related Emerging Agents, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Silberstein
authors.forename: Deborah R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Taylor
keywords: cell culture systems; hepatitis C virus; particle assembly; replicons; viral spread and replication