Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes progressive liver problems, and eradication of the virus remains a formidable challenge. New research in FEBS Letters indicates that treatment that boosts the effects of immune cells called stem cell memory T cells (TSCMs) may be a promising strategy for combating HBV.
In the study, investigators identified TSCMs in patients with chronic HBV infection and analyzed their effects in a mouse model of HBV. After introducing TSCMs from patients into the mice, the immune cells differentiated into cytotoxic T cells and activated a strong response that resulted in the elimination of HBV-infected liver cells. Therefore, augmenting patients' TSCMs may help the immune system overcome the virus.
"Our hepatitis model may reveal how TSCMs differentiate into cytotoxic T cells and uncover the fate of differentiated T cells. Such information could greatly advance future research on T cell-based therapies," said corresponding author Hiromi Abe-Chayama, PhD, of Hiroshima University, in Japan.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1873-3468.14842
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