27/07/05

Hope for hepatitis B treatment

The hepatitis B virus is a leading cause of liver cancer Copyright: CDC

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Scientists have identified a possible treatment for hepatitis B, the world’s most common serious liver infection and a leading cause of liver cancer.


By injecting mice with molecules that interfere with the hepatitis B virus’s replication, the researchers reduced viral levels by 90 per cent.


The researchers, who published their work in Nature Biotechnology, injected particles of a special type of RNA (genetic material similar to DNA), to stop the virus from replicating.


By encasing the RNA in fat-like particles, the team protected it from being broken down in the mice’s blood. The protection meant it could reach the liver and the hepatitis B virus.


Although the research is still in its early stages, Mark Thursz of the British Association for the Study of the Liver calls the use of this technique in a living animal “a significant step”.


The scientists plan to test the treatment in people early next year.


Link to full BBC Online news story