Research status and challenges of HBV cccDNA / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Current antiviral treatment regimens seldom clear hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and achieve complete cure, and therefore, many patients need long-term or even life-long antiviral therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogues. The root cause is the presence of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) with transcriptional activity within hepatocytes. In order to help readers understand the research advances in HBV cccDNA, this issue invites leading experts in China to introduce the research advances from the following six aspects anti-HBV treatment and functional cure of chronic hepatitis B, drugs and biotechniques targeting HBV cccDNA, transcriptional regulation of HBV cccDNA and prospects of anti-HBV treatment, in vitro cell models and experimental mouse models of HBV cccDNA, application of in situ hybridization in detection of HBV nucleic acid and cccDNA, and quantification of HBV cccDNA.