Is the conquest of Hepatitis C imminent?

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus represents a global pathogen of human health significance. In the space of less than three decades, we have witnessed the discovery of the virus, a growing understanding of the structure and biology of the viral-encoded proteins and their interaction with the host cell and the sequencing of the viral genome. Most importantly, we have moved from early therapeutic strategies aimed at crude boosting of host anti-viral immunity, limited by side effects and with poor response rates, to therapies that directly exploit our understanding of viral biology. In this review, we discuss the significance of the virus, its' discovery and outline the advances in the molecular characterisation of the virus, before setting these within the context of contemporary and emerging therapeutic strategies as well as viral resistance mechanisms.

Keywords: Hepatitis C; therapeutics; viral resistance; virology.