SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Combination Therapy Shows Promise for Hepatitis B Functional Cure with 100% Sustained Seroconversion in Preclinical Study

- A novel ferritin nanoparticle-preS1 therapeutic vaccine combined with siRNA achieved 100% sustained serum HBsAg loss over 11 months in chronic hepatitis B mouse models. - The combination treatment demonstrated 80% seroconversion rate for HBs antibodies and 70% clearance rates of serum HBV DNA and liver HBcAg. - RNA interference therapeutics are emerging as a promising three-pronged approach targeting viral replication, antigen suppression, and immune system stimulation. - Current clinical trials with combination therapies including RNAi drugs are achieving approximately 30% functional cure rates, significantly higher than the 5% standard of care.