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.Approximately 2% of the US population in chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Chronic HCV infections result in significant liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer in approximately 20%of infected individuals. The current therapy of interferon and ribavirin does not result in viral clearance in the majority of cases. A better understanding of the replication of HCV at a molecular level as well as the factors that determine whether an infection will proceed to chronic infection or viral clearance are essential for the development of improved antiviral strategies. These studies are important for both vaccine and antiviral development. This Center grant is comprised of three research groups located at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, John Hopkins University, Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and SFBR. The Principal Investigator for the SFBR component is Robert Lanford. The goals of his component are to 1) use histological methods to examine intrahepatic events during acute resolving and chronic HCV infection, 2) determine the cumulative cell death and proliferation by genetic marking of hepatocytes, and 3) determine the role of viral proteins in genotype specific variation in interferon sensitivity.
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