Infections with the hepatitis e virus often go unnoticed because they cause no symptoms. However, in patients with a weakened immune system or existing liver damage and also in pregnant women, the virus can cause severe liver information, which can be fatal. Despite existing therapeutic approaches, there are currently no authorized specific treatment options.

Researchers at TwInCore, Center for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research in Hannover, and the University of Lübeck have no identification Prevent Severe Courses. They have Published their results in the journey Nature Communications,

The World Health Organization (Who) Estimates that Around 20 Million People Worldwide are infected with Hev Every year. Most cases are asymptomatic, but Around 3.3 Million Develop Symptomatic Hepatitis that can lead to Severe Chronic Inflammation of the Liver, Including Fibrosis or Cirrhosis. 44,000 people died as a result in 2015. Increased Risk of a Severe Course of the disease.

“In our search for new the therapeutic options, we examined which antibodies against the hepatitis e virus are formed in people who have survived the infection,” Says Dr. Patrick Behrendt, Head of the Clinical Junior Research Group Translational Virology at Twincore and Senior Physician at the Department of Gastroenterology at the Hannover Medical School. To do this, they arelated so-called memory b cells from the blood of the cured patients. These are immune cells that produce antibodies.

“During the more detailed characterization, we initialy found that many of the antibodies were directed against the hev capsid.” This protein is a structural component of the virus that encloses its gentic information in infective particles. However, it is also present as a soluble protein freely circulating in the blood of patients.

“In this way, hev directs the immune response away from the infecticide virus particles, thus escaping the immune response,” Says behrendt.

This soluble capsid protein directions from the protein embedded in infectious viral particles due to a certain modification that can potentially be used for new the the therapeutic approves. “We then focused on the antibodies that specifically recognize infecticide particles,” Says Dr. Katja Dinkelborg, A Physician and Researcher in Behrendt’s Group and one of the first Authors of the publication.

Researchers at the university of lübek was able to decipher the exact structure and mode of action of these antibodies. The TEAM LED by Prof. Thomas krey from the institute of biochemistry investigated the antibodies in more detail and was able to show how they bind and neutralize the virus.

“Antibodies Targeting Infectious Particles Bind Differently Than Antibodies that recognize Soluble Capsid Protein,” Says Dr. George Ssebyatika, The First Author from Krey’s Research Group. “Using High-Resolution X-Ray Structure Analyses, We We WE WERE ALE VISULIZE The Precise Binding of the Antibodies to the Virus for the first time.”

Krey Adds, “Our Findings Show that Specifically Developed Antibodies are a promising approach to better treate hepatitis e infections.”

Provided by Twincore – Zentrum Für Experimentelle Und Kliniche Infektionsforschung