McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Steven Belle, PhD, MScHyg (pictured), professor of epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and the world’s foremost hepatitis experts gathered in Pittsburgh to launch the University of Pittsburgh-coordinated Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network – a consortium of 15 clinical and research centers across the U.S. and Canada. The meeting coincided with the third-annual World Hepatitis Day, which raises awareness about the 1 in 12 people living with hepatitis B and C worldwide.
The network, whose data coordinating center was funded in 2009 by a 7-year, $11 million grant to Pitt from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, is facilitating clinical and basic research on hepatitis B and developing a multi-site treatment trial and major database of study results. During the meeting, experts discussed initiating clinical trials to address current challenges of when to start and stop treatment.
“Current treatments for hepatitis B are effective in addressing symptoms and containing the infection, but they do not cure it,” said Dr. Belle, principal investigator of the data coordinating center for the grant. “Many patients need to stay on therapy for a long time, which often allows the virus to become resistant and makes further treatment ineffective.”
“Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines for almost 30 years, the number of adults with chronic hepatitis B in the United States has remained relatively unchanged,” said Anna Lok, MD, chair, Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network Steering Committee and professor, University of Michigan School of Medicine. “These people are at risk of cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.”
The Hepatitis B Research Network brings together clinical centers with expertise in caring for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. An estimated 2 billion people worldwide (more than 1 million Americans) have been infected with HBV and about 400 million persons are living with chronic HBV infection. Of those with childhood-acquired chronic HBV infection, it is estimated that 25% will later die from the liver-related complications of cancer and cirrhosis if left untreated. The prevalence of HBV infection is uneven throughout the world, with significant burdens in Asia and the Pacific Islands, sub-Saharan Africa, the Amazon Basin, and Eastern Europe. National surveys indicate that 0.3% to 0.5% of U.S. residents have chronic HBV infection, and 47% to 70% of these persons were born outside the United States. The goal of the Network is to conduct research on chronic hepatitis B, in order to better understand the physiological effects of the disease and develop effective treatment strategies with the currently available therapies.
In addition to Pitt, experts attended the meeting were from Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, Saint Louis University, University of California at Los Angeles, University of California at San Francisco, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas Southwestern, University of Toronto, University of Washington, Washington University School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health.
Illustration: McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Read more…
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Media Relations (05/19/10)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (05/20/10)
Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network
Hepatitis B Foundation
Bio: Dr. Steven Belle