SOUTHEASTERN COOPERATIVE HEPATITIS C RESEARCH GROUP

Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio TX

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Approximately 2% of the US population in chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Chronic HCV infections result in significant liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer in approximately 20%of infected individuals. The current therapy of interferon and ribavirin does not result in viral clearance in the majority of cases. A better understanding of the replication of HCV at a molecular level as well as the factors that determine whether an infection will proceed to chronic infection or viral clearance are essential for the development of improved antiviral strategies. This Center grant is comprised of three research groups located at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, The Research Institute at Children's Hospital Columbus Ohio, and SFBR. The Principal Investigator for the SFBR component is Robert Lanford. The goals of his component are to examine the role of the innate immune response in viral clearance. This component uses total genome microarray analysis to examine changes in gene expression in HCV infected chimpanzees.