http://www.prn.org/prn_nb_cntnt/oldcaps/cap07-18-00.01.htm

Researchers Find Two Genes Used by Hepatitis C

New findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Immusol Inc. and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), reveal two human genes that the hepatitis C virus (Hepatitis C Virus) uses to reproduce itself. The discovery of the genes could lead to better drugs to fight Hepatitis C Virus, which affects about 4 million Americans. The newly discovered genes control eukaryotic initiation factors 2 gamma and 2B gamma, which are necessary for Hepatitis C Virus reproduction. Drugs that block these genes could stop hepatitis C infections better than the current interferon/ribavirin therapy. While senior author of the paper and co-founder of Immusol, UCSD professor Flossie Wong-Staal expects the findings to lead to a new generation of Hepatitis C Virus therapies, researchers note that further research is necessary, with studies in animals or humans instead of only test-tube experiments.

Source: Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (07/18/00) P. B7; Hensley, Scott; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.