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Discovery and Development of Antiviral Therapies for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

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Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1322))

Abstract

At the beginning of this decade, an estimated 71 million people were living with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection worldwide. After the acute stage of HCV infection, 18–34% of individuals exhibit spontaneous clearance. However, the remaining 66–82% of infected individuals progress to chronic HCV infection and are at subsequent risk of progression to hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chronic hepatitis C progression is generally slow during the first two decades of infection, but can be accelerated during this time in association with advancing age and cofactors, such as heavy alcohol intake and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection. Since acute HCV infection is generally asymptomatic, HCV goes undiagnosed in a significant percentage of infected individuals. In 2014, direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for chronic HCV was developed, which has increased the cure rates to nearly 100%. DAA therapy is among the best examples of success in the fight against viral infections. DAAs have transformed HCV management and have opened the door for the global eradication of HCV.

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Abbreviations

ALT:

Alanine aminotransferase

BOC:

Boceprevir

CD:

Cluster of differentiation

CLDN:

Claudin

COVID:

Coronavirus disease

DAA:

Direct-acting antiviral

ERAP:

Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase

FDA:

Food and Drug Administration

GPR:

G-protein-coupled receptor

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

HCV:

Hepatitis c virus

HIV:

Human immunodeficiency virus

IDU:

Intravenous drug user

IFNG:

Interferon-gamma

IFNG-AS:

IFNG antisense RNA

IFNL:

Interferon-lambda

IMP:

Inosine-5′-monophosphate

IRES:

Internal ribosome entry site

IU:

International unit

KIR:

Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor

LC:

Light chain

LDV:

Ledipasvir

MSM:

Men who have sex with men

NS:

Nonstructural

OCLN:

Occludin

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

RAS:

Drug resistance-associated substitution

RdRP:

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

SMV:

Simeprevir

SOF:

Sofosbuvir

SR-B:

Scavenger receptor class B

STAT:

Signal transducer and activator of transcription

SVR:

Sustained virological response

TVR:

Telaprevir

USA:

United States of America

UTR:

Untranslated region

VEL:

Velpatasvir

VLDL:

Very-low-density lipoprotein

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Spain

    Miguel Angel Martinez & Sandra Franco

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  1. Miguel Angel Martinez
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  2. Sandra Franco
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Correspondence to Miguel Angel Martinez .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

    Xinyong Liu

  2. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China

    Peng Zhan

  3. – Centro de Biología Molecular “Severo Ochoa” – Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Luis Menéndez-Arias

  4. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark

    Vasanthanathan Poongavanam

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Martinez, M.A., Franco, S. (2021). Discovery and Development of Antiviral Therapies for Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection. In: Liu, X., Zhan, P., Menéndez-Arias, L., Poongavanam, V. (eds) Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1322. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0267-2_6

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