The Woodchuck, a Nonprimate Model for Immunopathogenesis and Therapeutic Immunomodulation in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection.
The woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) and its host, the eastern woodchuck, is a very valuable model system for hepatitis B virus infection. Many aspects of WHV replication and pathogenesis resemble acute and chronic hepatitis B infection in patients. Since the establishment of immunological tools, woodchucks were used to develop new therapeutic vaccines and immunomodulatory approaches to treat chronic hepadnaviral infections. Combination therapy of nucleos(t)ide analogs, with prime-boost vaccination and triple therapy, including immunomodulatory strategies by blocking the interaction of the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor with its ligand inducing a potent T-cell response in chronic WHV carrier woodchucks, suppression of viral replication, and complete elimination of the virus in 30% of the animals. Both strategies may be used for future therapies in patients with chronic hepatitis B.
Institute for Virology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
Michael
M
Roggendorf
Institute for Virology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
Anna D
AD
Kosinska
Institute for Virology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
Jia
J
Liu
Institute for Virology, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
Mengji
M
Lu
D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017919:Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D008392:Marmota; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D000068698:Tenofovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; C413685:entecavir; D006147:Guanine; D000068698:Tenofovir