How hepatitis B spreads inside the liver
Official title: NIH: Spatial Models of Intrahepatic Hepatitis Virus Propagation in Humans
Funded at Triad National Security, LLC · NIH-11285258 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project maps how hepatitis B moves among liver cells to help people living with chronic hepatitis B.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Triad National Security, LLC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Alamos, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | February 7, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $889,753 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI116868-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285258 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults with chronic hepatitis B, especially those having clinical liver biopsies or willing to provide blood and tissue samples for research.
✕Less likely to help
People without hepatitis B or those unwilling or unable to provide blood or liver tissue are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
Researchers will use rare human liver tissue and matched blood samples from people with chronic hepatitis B to map where the virus lives in the liver. They will apply state-of-the-art single-cell and spatial lab techniques alongside blood biomarkers to see infection patterns at high resolution. The team will build multi-scale computer models that combine lab data and clinical measures to recreate how the virus spreads and persists in liver tissue. The work is designed to point toward why current treatments often fail and to suggest new targets for cure-focused therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new ways to target or clear hepatitis B in the liver, reducing long-term liver damage and cancer risk.
How similar studies have gone: Single-cell and biomarker studies have advanced HBV knowledge, but combining rare human liver samples with spatial multi-scale modeling is a relatively new and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Triad National Security, LLC
Los Alamos, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ribeiro, Ruy M — Triad National Security, LLC
- Study coordinator: Ribeiro, Ruy M
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.