HBeAg seroconversion is associated with a more effective PD-L1 blockade during chronic hepatitis B infection.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Current therapies for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection control viral replication but do not eliminate the risk of progression to hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV-specific CD8 T cells are necessary for viral control, but they are rare and exhausted during chronic infection. Preclinical studies have shown that blockade of the PD-1:PD-L1 axis can restore HBV-specific T cell functionality. The aim of this study was to analyze how the clinical and treatment status of patients impacts the ability of HBV-specific T cells to respond to PD-L1 blockade.

Methods

Expression patterns of the PD-1:PD-L1/PD-L2 axis were analyzed in healthy donors and chronically infected patients in different clinical phases of disease. A functional assay was performed to quantify ba

SUBMITTER: Ferrando-Martinez S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7001560 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature