Taiwanese researchers have found a way to “customize” treatment for individuals with hepatitis B by predicting the activity of the virus, the head of a research team said on Saturday.
The study, which analyzed cases of hepatitis B virus infections reported in the past 17 years, found two intercellular mediators in the immune system that can “predict” the virus’ activity, said Wu Jia-feng (吳嘉峰), a pediatrician at National Taiwan University Hospital.
In chronic hepatitis B patients, the team found there is a higher concentration of the mediators — known as interleukin-10 and interleukin-12 — that trigger the hepatitis B antigen earlier than in those with a lower concentration of the mediators.
Wu said that when a patient tests positive for the antigen, it means the virus is reproducing, while a negative result means the immune system has suppressed the hepatitis B virus.
The goal of treatments have been to “turn the [antigen] negative,” Wu said.
Existing anti-viral drugs have not been very effective in the treatment of patients, as only 20 percent to 30 percent have shown signs of improvement after taking the drugs for 12 months, Wu said.
The intercellular mediators could be a factor in the ineffectiveness of the drugs, he added.
The study was published in the US-based Gastroenterology journal in January.
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