title: Hepatitis B: future curative strategies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes a large proportion of chronic liver disease worldwide. The limited efficiency of current treatments based on the use of nucleotide/nucleoside analogues or interferon-alpha requires the development of new therapeutic tools for the treatment of chronic HBV. We summarize the most recent therapeutic strategies designed to directly target HBV-infected hepatocytes or to restore antiviral immunity during chronic HBV infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Novel therapies directly target HBV-infected hepatocytes by inducing covalently closed circular DNA degradation or by inhibiting HBV entry or the expression of viral proteins. In addition, immunotherapeutic approaches may boost HBV-specific T-cell responses or stimulate the intrahepatic innate response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These new therapeutic approaches have mainly been tested in animal models. In humans, therapeutic strategies could be tailored to different chronic HBV patients in relation to their clinical and virological disease profile.
authors.affiliation: aProgram Emerging infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore bSingapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR, Singapore cSchool of Immunity and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertoletti
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rivino
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects*; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins