Open AccessNew therapeutic opportunities for Hepatitis C based on small RNA
Author(s) -
Qiaoling Pan,
Scot D. Henry,
Bob J. Scholte,
Hugo W. Tilanus,
Harry Janssen,
Luc J. W. van der Laan
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v13.i33.4431
Subject(s) - ribavirin , hepatitis c , medicine , pegylated interferon , hepatitis c virus , context (archaeology) , liver disease , cirrhosis , virology , viral replication , liver transplantation , rna interference , genetic enhancement , gene silencing , immunology , bioinformatics , virus , transplantation , biology , rna , gene , genetics , paleontology
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the major causes of chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer and is therefore, the most common indication for liver transplantation. Conventional antiviral drugs such as pegylated interferon-alpha, taken in combination with ribavirin, represent a milestone in the therapy of this disease. However, due to different viral and host factors, clinical success can be achieved only in approximately half of patients, making urgent the requirement of exploiting alternative approaches for HCV therapy. Fortunately, recent advances in the understanding of HCV viral replication and host cell interactions have opened new possibilities for therapeutic intervention. The most recent technologies, such as small interference RNA mediated gene-silencing, anti-sense oligonucleotides (ASO), or viral vector based gene delivery systems, have paved the way to develop novel therapeutic modalities for HCV. In this review, we outline the application of these technologies in the context of HCV therapy. In particular, we will focus on the newly defined role of cellular microRNA (miR-122) in viral replication and discuss its potential for HCV molecular therapy.