This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most prevalent diseases of the liver in the United States. It is associated with progressive hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis and increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Approximately 2.4 million Americans have chronic hepatitis C infection and the rate is higher among the African Americans (3.2%) than among the Caucasian population (1.5%). The mortality rates for hepatitis C-related cirrhosis and the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma due to HCV appear to be increasing, and these increases are expected to disproportionably affect African Americans. This threat is magnified by the fact that African American patients have a lower rate of response to alpha interferon (IFN gamma) based therapy compared to Caucasian, Mexican American and Asian patients. The reasons for the relative lack of response to antiviral therapy among African Americans are not clear. This proposal seeks to use sophisticated DNA microarray analyses of the transcriptional changes induced in hepatocytes (cellular locus of viral replication) and peripheral blood lymphoctes (one compartment of immune responder cells) in an effort to better understand how racial and host genetic factors influence interferon response in HCV infection.
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