Update on Hepatitis C Vaccine: Results and Challenges

Autor: Anna Rosa Garbuglia, Silvia Pauciullo, Verdiana Zulian, Paola Del Porto
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Viruses, Vol 16, Iss 8, p 1337 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1999-4915
DOI: 10.3390/v16081337
Popis: Therapy against the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has significantly improved with the introduction of direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), achieving over 95% sustained virological response (SVR). Despite this, the development of an effective anti-HCV vaccine remains a critical challenge due to the low number of patients treated with DAAs and the occurrence of HCV reinfections in high-risk groups. Current vaccine strategies aim to stimulate either B-cell or T-cell responses. Vaccines based on E1 and E2 proteins can elicit broad cross-neutralizing antibodies against all major HCV genotypes, though with varying efficiencies and without full protection against infection. In humans, the neutralizing antibodies induced by such vaccines mainly target the AR3 region, but their levels are generally insufficient for broad neutralization. Various HCV proteins expressed through different viral vectors have been utilized to elicit T cell immune responses, showing sustained expansion of HCV-specific effector memory T cells and improved proliferation and polyfunctionality of memory T cells over time. However, despite these advancements, the frequency and effectiveness of T-cell responses remain limited.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje