A novel drug developed by Gilead Sciences and tested in an
animal model at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute suppresses hepatitis B
virus infection by stimulating the immune system and inducing loss of infected
cells.
In a study conducted at Texas Biomed’s Southwest National
Primate Research Center, researchers found that the immune modulator GS-9620,
which targets a receptor on immune cells, reduced both the virus levels and the
number of infected liver cells in chimpanzees chronically infected with
hepatitis B virus (HBV). Chimpanzees are
the only species other than humans that can be infected by HBV. Therefore, the
results from this study were critical in moving the drug forward to human
clinical trials which are now in progress.