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The Viral Hepatitis Congress 2015, Kap Europa, Frankfurt, Germany
O21 Viral Hepatitis B and D: Preclinical and Early Clinical
O211
What have we learned since the identification of the HBV entry receptor NTCP?
S Urban
Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
For almost three decades after the discovery of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) the early events of infection (attachment, receptor binding and fusion) remained entirely unresolved. Although the extraordinary hepatotropism of HBV and its peculiar host specificity were supposed to be linked to specific receptor binding, it remained unclear which domain(s) within the viral envelope protein(s) are essential for mediating virus entry and which cellular receptor(s) are addressed. One reason of this delay of progress was the lack of in vitro cell culture systems. Following the establishment of the first infectable HepaRG cell line in 2002, systematic analyses allowed the identification of a myristoylated preS1-subdomain within the viral L-envelope protein as essential for infection. In 2012 it was shown that this part of the virus specifically binds the sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP/SCL10A1) which is exclusively expressed at the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes were it functions in bile salt re-import. The development of (Myrcludex B) as a potent peptidic inhibitor of this receptor opened a novel therapeutic option to treat acute and chronically infected patients. Moreover, the identification of NTCP allowed the establishment of robust cell culture systems, which are currently used to identify novel drugs and cellular factors that can be addressed by possible future therapeutic approaches. In addition, the discovery of NTCP as one of the major host restriction factors for HBV will help to develop immune competent animal models to study pathogenesis of this virus. In my talk, I will discuss the current state of the art of these recent approaches and discuss, if entry inhibition via NTCP-targeting might become important for future therapeutic regiments.
O212
New drug targets for hepatitis B virus and clinical data from phase I/II studies
A Shlomai
The Liver Institute, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petah-Tikva, Israel
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health problem affecting more than 350 million people worldwide. Nucleotide/side analogues are currently the main standard of care for chronically infected patients. However, although those drugs efficiently suppress viral replication through inhibition of its polymerase activity, they only seldom cure the patients due to their inability to target the viral episomal DNA (cccDNA). An intensive research for several decades now has advanced our understanding of the HBV life cycle, its interactions with the host and its interplay with the immune system. This provided fertile ground for the development of innovative anti-viral strategies that either target specific steps in the HBV life cycle and/or evoke a more robust immune-mediated anti-viral response to better control the virus. Prominent examples include viral entry inhibitors that bind and block the recently discovered HBV receptor, the bile acid pump NTCP, as well as drugs that interfere with the formation of the viral capsid. Newly introduced genetic-based strategies, such as anti-sense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and RNA interference (RNAi) have shown promise in suppressing viral gene expression thereby provoking a more efficient anti-HBV immune response. Recently, the newly introduced CRISPR/Cas9 system has been shown, albeit so far only in experimental systems, to directly target HBV DNA, as well. Strategies to evoke an effective immune response against the virus are versatile and include activation of the immune response through Toll-like receptors such as TLR-7, reversing T cell exhaustion by blocking co-inhibitory signals and using therapeutic vaccines to restore an effective anti-HBV immune response. There is also renewed interest in activating components of the innate immune system to elicit effective and less cytotoxic anti-viral effect that may promote cccDNA degradation. Some of those innovative strategies have been already translated into drugs that are currently tested in phase I/II clinical trials, giving the hope that a more definitive treatment for chronic HBV infection will be realistic in the foreseen future.
HDV replication and putative drug targets
H Wedemeyer
Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
Suppression of HDV RNA replication is the primary goal during treatment of hepatitis delta leading usually to normalization of liver enzymes and histological improvement of liver disease. Hepatitis delta infected patients are treated with IFN-α since the mid-1980s; however, similar to HBV monoinfection, sustained virologic response is rarely achieved. Also therapies with a combination of IFN-α and a nucleos(t)ide analogue did not lead to the desired success. Alternative treatment options for hepatitis delta, targeting different steps of the HDV infection and replication cycles, are currently being explored in early clinical trials. The HBV entry inhibitor Myrcludex-B is also being developed for hepatitis delta. Myrcludex-B is a lipopeptide derived from the preS1 domain of the HBV envelope. The molecular target of Myrcludex is the bile acid transporter sodium taurocholate cotransporting peptide (Ni 2013) and it has been shown to prevent HDV in mice models. The compound is also currently being tested in Phase 1 and Phase 2a trials in healthy volunteers and patients with hepatitis B and B/D coinfected patients. The second promising new drug is lonafarnib, a prenylation inhibitor. HDV replication depends on a prenylation step and prenylation inhibitors have already been developed for the treatment of malignancies. First proof-of-concept studies investigating the safety and efficacy of the prenylation inhibitor lonafarnib in patients with hepatitis delta have been completed and showed indeed antiviral efficacy against HDV in patients. Finally, first data are available on another concept investigating nucleic acid polymers in hepatitis delta. Pilot trials showed a marked decline in HBsAg levels within 3–4 months of therapy paralleled by a decline in HDV RNA. More data are needed to investigate long-term response and safety of this strategy. In summary, treatment of hepatitis delta remains a major challenge with very limited options to induce cure from HDV infection but within the last year some promising steps have been done.
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