HEPATITIS THERAPY: Combined immune and gene therapy for chronic viral hepatitis

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 01.0020

Key words (English)

Hepatitis therapy; immune and gene therapy;
Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety; Scientific Research; Social Aspects

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK2-CT-2000-01476

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.2 Control of infectious diseases

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Universitätsspital Zürich
Departement Pathologie
Institut für Experimentelle Immunologie

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Institute of Medical Virology (D)

Abstract (English)

Many infectious agents persist in the patient because of an insufficient immune response. Natural viral capsids are highly immunogenic but often they do not induce neutralising antibodies or a CTL response. Using genetic methods protective B and T cell epitopes can be introduced into capsid proteins and expressed in bacteria or yeast. It is planned to encapsidate in vitro into such chimeric capsids genes encoding cytokines which favour Th1 and subsequent CTL responses. Recognition of such capsids by B cells would lead to efficient antibody production and Th1 cell epitope presentation in a favourable cytokine milieu. The suitability of such hepatitis B and polyoma virus capsid vectors shall be tested in cell cultures, in a mouse model and for chimeric hepatitis B core particles in human patients.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 01.0020