Hepatitis B infection contributes immensely to liver cancer in the United States. Hepatitis B is a viral infection, commonly known as a silent killer, has symptoms such as jaundice, liver scarring, and abdominal pain which do not appear until long after untreated chronic infection. For this reason, it is essential that individuals receive the hepatitis B vaccine and get tested for the virus. Yet, only 25.8% of adults are fully vaccinated against the hepatitis B virus in the U.S. in 2017. In November 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) made new recommendations for the hepatitis B vaccine to be administered to all individuals 19 – 59 years old and only high-risk individuals 60 years old or older. Currently, there is no cure for hepatitis B, but new research presents possible immunotherapy to minimize viral infection.
The hepatitis B virus shown above in a sample under a microscope can damage liver cells when an individual is infected and left untreated.
Research done at the University College London has found a new immunotherapy drug to combat hepatitis B by blocking the activity of acyl-Coa cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT), stimulating immune cells to attack the virus and tumor cells. ACAT is a catalytic protein that plays a role in regulating cholesterol levels and absorption. In the study, the injection of ACAT inhibitors into HBV-infected blood rich in immune cells showed that there was an increase in the number of cytotoxic T cells, which can recognize antigens on viruses and destroy HBV-infected cells. Additionally, after testing the ACAT inhibitors with blood from patients with HBV, the study further investigated the effect of the inhibitors directly at the site of infection. Thus, tissue from HBV-infected liver samples were collected and injected with the same ACAT inhibitors, and the results showed that there was less of an increase in cytotoxic T cells. However, there was still a significant increase in helper T cells that stimulate the activation of other immune cells to attack the antigens. Therefore, through the study, ACAT inhibitors have shown the potential to destroy currently infected tumor cells and increase the immune response to attack hepatitis B viruses that could potentially infect more cells.
As new research continues to emerge, there is hope that a cure to HBV infection can be found through immunotherapies that improve T cell function and production.
Featured Image Source: James Thew
