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The Genetics of Virologic Response

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Abstract

The field of medicine is changing rapidly, and the future holds the potential to “personalize” treatment by determining the genome of both patients and pathogens to administer the appropriate therapies. Within the field of hepatology, multiple genetic discoveries have led to new insights into the biology of hepatitis C (HCV) infection and improved ability to predict an individual patient’s response to therapy. Major discoveries in this area include the finding of SNPs near the IL28B gene that are related to sustained virologic response (SVR) and rapid virologic response (RVR) in patients with genotype 1, spontaneous clearance of HCV after acute infection, and SVR in those patients with genotypes 2 and 3 that do not achieve an RVR. Additionally, the IL28B polymorphisms add insight into the variation of treatment response among different ethnicities, and this finding is estimated to explain approximately half of the difference in treatment response rates between patients of African-American and European-American background. Additional genetic findings including variation in the IL-6 haplotype, differences in MHC allele expression, and polymorphisms that lead to increased steatosis and insulin resistance have also provided new insights into differences in response to treatment for hepatitis C.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Duke University School of Medicine and Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC, USA

    Alison B. Jazwinski MD

  2. Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, DSMC, 3913, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Andrew J. Muir MD, MHS

Authors
  1. Alison B. Jazwinski MD
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  2. Andrew J. Muir MD, MHS
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Correspondence to Andrew J. Muir MD, MHS .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bon Secours Health System, Liver Institute of Virginia, McManus Blvd., Suite 313 12720, Newport News, 23602, Virginia, USA

    Mitchell L. Shiffman

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Jazwinski, A.B., Muir, A.J. (2012). The Genetics of Virologic Response. In: Shiffman, M. (eds) Chronic Hepatitis C Virus. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1192-5_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1192-5_15

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1192-5

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