Improved Specificity and Safety of Anti-Hepatitis B Virus TALENs Using Obligate Heterodimeric FokI Nuclease Domains.

ABSTRACT: Persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a serious medical problem worldwide, with an estimated global burden of 257 million carriers. Prophylactic and therapeutic interventions, in the form of a vaccine, immunomodulators, and nucleotide and nucleoside analogs, are available. Vaccination, however, offers no therapeutic benefit to chronic sufferers and has had a limited impact on infection rates. Although immunomodulators and nucleotide and nucleoside analogs have been licensed for treatment of chronic HBV, cure rates remain low. Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) designed to bind and cleave viral DNA offer a novel therapeutic approach. Importantly, TALENs can target covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) directly with the potential of permanently disablin

SUBMITTER: Smith T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8310341 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature