Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

The Hepatitis C Virus

The infectious cycle of HCV is tightly linked to the lipid metabolism; this has consequences on the steps of viral assembly as well as on infection pathophysiology. The team studies the accumulation of lipid droplets in cells infected by the virus (see photo opposite); this phenomenon causes fatty liver in many chronic patients. The team also studies the association in between the virus and different apolipoproteins, a key element in the formation, the secretion and the infectiousness of the viral particles.

Despite the recent development of a HCV culture system, the structure of the virus still remains poorly identified. For this reason the team has developed a pseudo-virion model of VHC that imitates viral particle assembly (see photo opposite) and which could contribute to improving virus propagation system models.

The team also develops work on the Hepatitis B virus, comprehension of viral morphogenesis as well as its bio-clinical aspects. The team works notably in collaboration with a team from Thailand on the consequences of co-infection HBV/HIV in response to anti-viral treatment, mother-to-child viral transmission and the presence of occult infections.

Finally, the U966 uses their work on viral morphogenesis, and on viral envelope immunogenicity to develop ground-breaking vaccine candidates based on subviral envelope particles. Therefor the unity is developing chimeric envelope particles of the hepatitis B and the hepatitis C viruses, which could establish a bivalent vaccine against these two viruses.