Scienceblogtwo

In animal models, a novel immune therapy against the hepatitis B and D viruses—both of which can result in liver cancer—shows encouraging results. The journal Gut has reported on the outcomes of the therapy, which is being developed by scientists at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections that are chronic are the main causes of severe liver damage and liver cancer. Although there is a hepatitis B vaccine, there are now over 250 million chronic illnesses. The danger of liver damage persists because the various treatments seldom result in the infection completely going away. Only around 25% of patients who have chronic hepatitis D are cured by current treatments. In order to combat these viruses, Karolinska Institutet researchers are creating a novel sort of medication that they believe will have long-lasting effects. Two parts of the treatment are intended to have different effects on the immune system. First, a DNA-based vaccin...