title: Chronic hepatitis B: Immunological profile and current therapeutic vaccines in clinical trials.
abstract: More than 250million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (CHB), and over half a million die each year due to CHB-associated liver complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The translation of immunological knowledge about CHB into therapeutic strategies aiming to a sustainable hepatitis B virus (HBV) clearance has been challenging. In recent years, however, the understanding on the immune effectors required to overcome chronicity has notably increased thanks to preclinical and clinical research. Therapeutic vaccination may prove to be useful for treating CHB patients when coupled with current antiviral agents and other immunomodulatory strategies. This review summarizes current data and future perspectives on therapeutic vaccination. Other treatment alternatives that could be combined with vaccines for a complete cure from hepatitis B virus infection are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Department, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba. Electronic address: yadira.lobaina@cigb.edu.cu.
authors.forename: Yadira
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lobaina
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur and INSERM U994, Paris, France. Electronic address: marie-louise.michel@pasteur.fr.
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Michel
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000379:methods; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines
keywords: Chronic infection; Clinical trials; Hepatitis B; Immune response; Immunotherapy; Therapeutic vaccine