In chronic hepatitis B, the liver contains immune cells that could destroy hepatitis B virus infected cells but are inactive. A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has discovered that cells blood vessels in the liver start a "sleep timer" that switches off immune cells. Targeting this mechanism could be a starting point for immunotherapies.
Hepatitis B is a widespread disease. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 250 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hepatitis B. The most common health consequence of chronic hepatitis B is liver damage.
Often, the body's immune response against infected cells causes the damage, not the virus itself: Immune cells trigger inflammatory processes that can lead to fibrosis – scarring of the liver tissue – and liver cancer. "In chronic hepatitis B, the body's immune system tries to destroy infected liver cells, causing long-term damage and still does not get rid of the virus," says Percy Knolle, Professor of Molecular Immunology at TUM. Notably, in in chronic infections, some immune cells whose receptors could recognize and destroy the Hepatitis B virus, are inactive.
A team led by Prof. Knolle describes the reason for this in " Nature ". The hepatitis B virus specifically infects hepatocytes.
These cells make up the largest part of liver tissue. They are supplied by small blood vessels that are lined with endothelial cells. Immune cells that enter the liver via the blood only reach infected h.
