Albany Medical College Awarded $2.4M to Study Chronic Hepatitis B
Department of Defense grant supports research on the role of dendritic cells in the immune response to HBV
Scientists at Albany Medical College have received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study the role of dendritic cells in immunity against hepatitis B virus (HBV).
HBV infections, which affect nearly 300 million people worldwide and an estimated one to two million people in the U.S., increase the risk of developing serious diseases including cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver and liver cancer. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.1 million people worldwide died from the virus in 2022.
“A vaccine can prevent the infection, but doesn’t benefit people who already have HBV,” explained Michael D. Robek, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Immunology & Microbial Disease, who is leading the study. “HBV becomes chronic when a dysfunctional or poor immune response fails to eliminate the virus from the liver. Current therapies can reduce the virus, but they rarely eliminate it,” he added.
Dendritic cells, a specific type of immune cell, are known to be essential for initiating immune responses to viral infections, but their role in the immune response to HBV is poorly understood.
Using several techniques, Dr. Robek and his team will eliminate specific dendritic populations in mouse models. “This will allow us to study how dendritic cells control HBV replication, and how they initiate immunity against HBV,” said Dr. Robek.
Ultimately, the researchers will seek to define the role of dendritic cells in immunity against HBV as well as their impact on vaccine efficacy – data that could be used to design treatments to cure chronic HBV and also applied to the development of new therapies for other diseases.
Titled “Targeting Dendritic Cells to Prevent HBV Chronic Disease,” the study is funded by the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.
