Towards the functional cure of hepatitis B
A recent study from Hannover, in which the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) is also involved, provides important insights into the understanding and future treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Researchers from the Hannover Medical School (MHH), the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), TWINCORE and the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM), a joint institution of the HZI and the MHH, have demonstrated that a previously little-noticed group of immune cells – so-called γδ T cells – plays a central role in controlling the viral infection. The study was published in the journal Gut.
γδ T cells are capable of specifically recognising and eliminating infected cells via antibody-mediated mechanisms. The findings are particularly relevant in the context of developing new therapeutic strategies aimed at achieving a functional cure for hepatitis B. Whilst current therapies suppress the virus, it has so far rarely been possible to achieve lasting immunological control of the infection. “The mechanisms now identified open up new possibilities for specifically strengthening the body’s own immune response and thus taking a decisive step towards a cure,” explains Prof. Anke Kraft, co-head of the Department of “Immunology of Viral Hepatitis and Infections in Liver Cirrhosis” at CiiM.
However, the study led by Prof. Anke Kraft, Prof. Markus Cornberg and Prof. Yannic Bartsch focuses not only on the scientific findings but also on the underlying research structure: the work serves as an example of the successful integration of clinical cohorts, experimental models and immunological expertise. “We have standardised and processed patient data and samples from the MHH via the CiiM and combined them with innovative functional models at TWINCORE and highly specialised expertise in the field of γδ T cells,” explains Prof. Markus Cornberg, co-head of the Department of ‘Immunology of Viral Hepatitis and Infections in Liver Cirrhosis’, co-coordinator of the DZIF Research Area “Hepatitis” and co-director of the CiiM. This close integration is a central element of the RESIST Cluster of Excellence, in which different disciplines collaborate specifically to better understand complex infectious diseases. The study serves as an example of how this structure enables new immunological principles to be identified and simultaneously contextualised within a clinical setting.
“Achieving a functional cure for hepatitis B requires a deep understanding of antiviral immunity,” emphasises Prof. Yannic Bartsch, head of the early-career research group “Antiviral Antibody Omics” at TWINCORE. “Our findings show that types of immune cells that have received little attention to date can play a decisive role in this process.”
The work underscores the strategic importance of Hanover as an internationally recognised centre for personalised infectious disease medicine and demonstrates how close cooperation between MHH, HZI, TWINCORE and CiiM within the RESIST Cluster of Excellence is opening up new avenues for the treatment of chronic viral infections.
