Did you know that around 1 in 25 people in Singapore have chronic hepatitis B infection? Infection of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes inflammation in the liver and can lead to scarring of the liver, liver cancer and liver failure. [NUH]
While there is a vaccine and drug therapy against the virus, current therapeutic options only have a 1-2% of achieving a functional cure. There is always a chance of viral reactivation in chronic hepatitis B infection.
A/Prof Paul MacAry and his team have identified a fully human antibody candidate against HBV from an infected patient. The antibody was found to have strong binding and neutralized the virus. Moreover, it could bind to a common region of protein found in all major types of HBV. In humanized mice, it was found that the antibody could protect these mice against HBV infection as well as treat mice infected with HBV. This may potential lead to a new antibody therapy to prevent or treat HBV infection.
