New hope for Hepatitis C research The mystery surrounding
Hepatitis C, a disease that affects millions of people
worldwide, is one step closer to being solved. In a paper
published in the August edition of Journal of Virology,
scientists describe how they replicated, or reproduced the
hepatitis C virus (HCV) in mouse cells. Working with different
models, they showed a gene called protein kinase R (PKR) blocked
the replication of HCV in mice. "When a person becomes infected
with HCV, the immune system produces a protein called interferon
to fight the infection," said co-author and Director of the
Monash Institute of Medical Research, Professor Bryan Williams.
"We now know genes interferon stimulates PKR to try to stop the
virus spreading throughout the body." HCV replicates at a very
high rate – approximately one trillion viral particles are
produced each day in an infected person. Professor Williams'
research will provide a better understanding of how this
replication occurs and how and why PKR blocks the pro