Management of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Using CRISPR/Cas Technology

Muhammad Imran Qadir

Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Bahaudin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

Muhammad Imran Qadir, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Bahaudin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.

Keywords: Hepatitis B Virus; Bacteriophages; Effector Protein; Viral Genome

Abstract

HBV (hepatitis B virus) infection is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, particularly in Asia and Africa. One of the main issues in present drugs for management of hepatitis B virus infection is that, although inhibitors can inhibit the formation of viral DNA from pre-RNA transcripts but the translation and transcription of viral mRNAs from the cccDNA template do not stop by these inhibitors which are present in the nucleus of infected cells. In addition, because cccDNAs are very stable, prolonged hepatitis B virus infections are least treated with the use of inhibitors and cannot completely stop the expansion of hepatitis B virus-related infections like hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. Consequently, there is a lot of attention in the possibilities of emerging the methods of treatment which will be targeted to cccDNA directly to eliminate.

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