This is a continuous effort in responding to the increasing demand for more precise measurement of relevant genomic information in any viral infection. The knowledge of the presence of a specific viral gene will help in identifying the infectious agent. However, to assess the stage of a disease, to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment, to determine the value of a predictor in the progression of a disease and to monitor the patient's progression of an infection, a more precise and quantitative analysis of the specific gene would be required. These previously highly research oriented questions can now begin to be answered with the advanced technology of molecular biology such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing and mapping of the restriction nuclease digested fragments. We would apply this technology in conjunction with our current on-going clinical research such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and HIV infections. We would also improve the basic PCR technique to become a quantitative procedure. We are also looking into PCR technology based genomic typing procedures.
| Tanaka, Yasuhito; Pfeiffer, Ruth; Yeo, Anthony E T et al. (2004) PCR-probe capture hybridization assay and statistical model for SEN virus prevalence estimation. J Med Virol 73:123-30 |
| Umemura, Takeji; Tanaka, Eiji; Ostapowicz, George et al. (2003) Investigation of SEN virus infection in patients with cryptogenic acute liver failure, hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia, or acute and chronic non-A-E hepatitis. J Infect Dis 188:1545-52 |
