Scientists from the University of Ottawa, Canadian Blood Services and the University of Alberta have discovered that Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) can avoid the immune system response by looking like a part of the immune system itself. The research was published last month in the journal Virology.
“Although this finding suggests that HCV may be an even more formidable opponent than previously imagined, it is an important advancement in the war against this disease. We now have an understanding as to how HCV manages to conquer the immune system,” says Dr. Earl Brown, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa.
Hepatitis C affects 200 million people worldwide.
Full text of article in Virology (For University of Ottawa users only)
