Research advances in therapeutic strategies against covalently closed circular DNA of hepatitis B virus / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) often leads to the development of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, creating immense sociological, clinical, and economic burdens worldwide. Although current anti-HBV drugs can control the disease progression, they often fail to eliminate the virus because of the presence of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in the hepatocyte nucleus. We review the research advances in therapeutic strategies against cccDNA from the aspects of interfering with cccDNA synthesis, promoting cccDNA degradation, and silencing cccDNA. Targeting cccDNA is a promising approach that may lead to a cure of chronic HBV infection.