Development of lentiviral vectors for inhibition of hepatitis B virus, via small interfering RNAi

Introduction: It is estimated that chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection accounts for approximately one million deaths per year due to severe cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Currently, several drugs are used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, however, complete cure is still controversial. The major challenge is the persistence of viral covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), as well as the ability of HBV to integrate into the host genome, which enables the infection’s reactivation. Interfering RNA (RNAi) is a post-transcriptional mechanism of gene silencing and demonstrates to be a promising alternative for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B.