Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), leads to chronic infections in people resulting in serious and permanent liver damage. Late stage disease due to this devastating virus is the leading cause of liver transplantation in North America. The disease afflicts 180 million people worldwide, including 1-2 % of the North American population. There is no vaccine or immunotherapy currently available for the treatment of HCV infection. A combination of pegylated alpha-interferon, ribavirin and protease inhibitor is being used to treat HCV infected patients, but this treatment is not adequate, only works in a fraction of patients, and has serious side effects associated with it. Therefore, there is a tremendous need to develop new therapeutic approaches against this dreadful virus. The focus of this research project is to study new treatment for hepatitis C virus. In our studies, we have identified promising agents which work on virus specific targets and host defense mechanisms and are non-toxic. In the proposed project, we will investigate their detailed antiviral properties using cell culture and mouse models and perform important preclinical studies. This project will advance our technology and the development of new drug candidates for the treatment of HCV patients worldwide.