Monoclonal antibody HCV1 is expected to treat hepatitis C

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Biomedical Research (UMMS) in Texas developed a new monoclonal antibody against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and tested it on animal models.

In a study conducted at the Texas Biomedical Primate Research Center, researchers found that a new human monoclonal antibody that targets a virus can protect chimpanzees against hepatitis C in a dose-dependent manner. Viral infection. Chimpanzees are the only species other than humans that can be infected with HCV, so the results of this study are crucial for the development of monoclonal antibodies.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Merck Research Laboratory. The findings were published in the journal PLoS Pathogens on August 30th.

Researchers have shown that the monoclonal antibody HCV1 can block hepatocytes cultured in the laboratory of hepatitis C virus infection. This is an important preclinical study conclusion, which confirmed that high doses of neutralizing antibodies can protect the liver against hepatitis C virus infection.

HCV1 is a monoclonal antibody that binds to HCV virus and inhibits the ability of the virus to enter hepatocytes. The HCV virus damages the liver and is the leading cause of death in liver transplant patients. About 6,000 patients in the United States receive liver transplantation each year, but about half of the patients are diagnosed with the hepatitis C virus.