Why hepatitis C clears in some people but becomes chronic in others
Animal Model to study heterogeneous outcomes of HCV Infection and Pathogenesis
They are creating mouse and rat models to find how hepatitis C is cleared in some people but persists and leads to chronic liver disease in others.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11345584 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This team uses viruses similar to hepatitis C that naturally infect rats and adapts them to infect laboratory mice so they can mimic both cleared and chronic infections. They isolate virus variants from wild rats and pass them through mice to produce mouse-adapted strains that show delayed clearance or persistent infection. Researchers will compare immune responses, including B cells and CD8 T cells, and viral changes between infections that clear and those that persist. The goal is to pinpoint immune and viral factors that let the virus evade defenses and cause liver damage.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with current or past hepatitis C infection, or those willing to donate blood or liver samples for research, would be ideal candidates to connect with this work.
Not a fit: People without hepatitis C or those already cured by antiviral therapy are unlikely to receive direct benefits from this animal-model research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal why some people clear HCV and point to new vaccines or treatments to prevent chronic hepatitis C.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier experiments with rodent HCV-like viruses have produced mouse-adapted strains that mimic chronic infection, but applying these findings to human HCV remains exploratory.
Where this research is happening
Columbus, United States
- Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp — Columbus, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kapoor, Amit — Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
- Study coordinator: Kapoor, Amit
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 below.