title: Eradication Strategies for Chronic Hepatitis B Infection.
abstract: Chronic hepatitis B infection affects >300 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of liver failure and cancer. Current approaches to treatment for chronic hepatitis B involve suppression of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA with the use of nucleoside analogues. Chronic suppressive therapy rarely results in a "functional cure" or absence of detectable HBV DNA in plasma and loss of detectable hepatitis B surface antigen after cessation of therapy. The major obstacles to achieving a functional cure are the presence of covalently closed circular DNA and ineffective/exhaustive immune system. This review focuses on novel approaches to target viral life cycle and host immunity to achieve a functional cure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
authors.forename: Eleanor M P
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
authors.forename: Shyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kottilil
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents
keywords: HBV; eradication; exhaustion