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Could novel immune cell therapy combat hepatitis B infections?
Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes progressive liver problems, and eradication of the virus remains a formidable challenge.
However, new research in FEBS Letters indicates that treatment that boosts the effects of immune cells called stem cell memory T cells (TSCMs) may be a promising strategy for combating HBV.
In the study, investigators identified TSCMs in patients with chronic HBV infection and analyzed their effects in a mouse model of HBV. After introducing TSCMs from patients into the mice, the immune cells differentiated into cytotoxic T cells and activated a strong response that resulted in the elimination of HBV-infected liver cells. Therefore, augmenting patients' TSCMs may help the immune system overcome the virus.
"Our hepatitis model may reveal how TSCMs differentiate into cytotoxic T cells and uncover the fate of differentiated T cells. Such information could greatly advance future research on T cell-based therapies," said corresponding author Hiromi Abe-Chayama, Ph.D., of Hiroshima University, in Japan.
More information: Hepatitis B virus-specific human stem cell memory T cells differentiate into cytotoxic T cells and eradicate HBV-infected hepatocytes in mice, FEBS Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14842 , onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10 … 1002/1873-3468.14842
