Framing the Knowledge of Therapeutics for Viral Hepatitis

Approximately 520 million people, or 8% of the world’s population, suffer from chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, making chronic viral hepatitis a major public health concern. While treatments exist for both infections, and a vaccine is available for HBV, there is no known cure for these devastating diseases. Within this book, the latest advances in cell systems and animal models, genetics, viral dynamics, drug discovery and development, pathogenesis and pertinent aspects of the natural history and clinical features of hepatitis B and C are detailed by world authorities and scientists on the front lines of research. The editors seek to illuminate these recent advances, and to put them in perspective with regard to the challenges that still remain in this rewarding field of study. Framing the Knowledge of Therapeutics for Viral Hepatitis honors Baruch Blumberg, one of the truly great scientists of our time. The discoverer of ! HBV, Dr. Blumberg’s work earned him the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1976.