liver disease to be treated with help of natural immunity

According to theThe findings, which were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, University of Adelaide researchers have discovered the role which is played by a family of genes, which can suppress hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection within the liver. Through contaminated blood, around 233,000 Australians have been suffered from the disease and now it has become a serious matter of concern in Australia. If HVC Is left undiagnosed, the infection can eventually lead to chronic disease and liver cancer, and both diseases are spreading their wings very frequently. It’s the very first time in the history that antiviral protein which was produced through the natural immune response blocked the entry of the hepatitis C virus into the cell.

liver disease to be treated with help of natural immunity

“We now have a good idea of what the IFITM proteins do in liver cells and how they act to suppress hepatitis C infection, This improved understanding of the host response to HCV infection, and the HCV entry process, will provide new direction for the development of therapeutic treatments to either heighten this natural response, or generate mimics to target the virus specifically.” says Associate Professor Michael Beard, Head of the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory in the University’s School of Biological Science. Up until now, the actual role of the proteins in suppressing HCV infection has remained only a mystery.

“Sumudu has shown that liver cells that express high levels of the IFITM proteins are resistant to infection with the hepatitis C virus by blocking entry of the virus into the cells,” Associate Professor Beard says.

“Our research team demonstrated specific interactions between the proteins and the HCV entry process within the cells. It appears that the proteins act together in a specific way to target the virus” he added.