title: Search for a cure for chronic hepatitis B infection: How close are we?
abstract: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains a significant unmet medical need, with 240 million chronically infected persons worldwide. It can be controlled effectively with either nucleoside/nucleotide-based or interferon-based therapies. However, most patients receiving these therapies will relapse after treatment withdrawal. During recent years, the advances in molecular biology and immunology have enabled a better understanding of the viral-host interaction and inspired new treatment approaches to achieve either elimination of the virus from the liver or durable immune control of the infection. This review aims to provide a brief overview on the potential new therapies that may overcome the challenge of persistent CHB infection in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Wah Wah Phyo, Alex Yu Sen Soh, Seng Gee Lim, Guan Huei Lee, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medicine Cluster, National University Hospital of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
authors.forename: Wah Wah
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Phyo
authors.affiliation: Wah Wah Phyo, Alex Yu Sen Soh, Seng Gee Lim, Guan Huei Lee, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medicine Cluster, National University Hospital of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
authors.forename: Alex Yu Sen
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Soh
authors.affiliation: Wah Wah Phyo, Alex Yu Sen Soh, Seng Gee Lim, Guan Huei Lee, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medicine Cluster, National University Hospital of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
authors.forename: Seng Gee
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Wah Wah Phyo, Alex Yu Sen Soh, Seng Gee Lim, Guan Huei Lee, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medicine Cluster, National University Hospital of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Singapore.
authors.forename: Guan Huei
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Antiviral therapy; Covalently closed circular DNA; Drug target; Hepatitis B; Immunomodulator