Hep C trials a world first

[Guest guest]

Hep C trials a world first Pountney, health reporter08jun06MELBOURNE scientists are about to begin world-first human trials on a new treatment for hepatitis C that they hope will be much more successful than current hit-and-miss therapies.

Less than half of people infected with hepatitis C are cured with multi-drug treatment. Many others are unable to finish the treatment because of its debilitating, toxic side-effects and the expense. Doctors at Melbourne's Burnet Institute have developed a new treatment likely to minimise the damaging outcomes of hepatitis C infection. The treatment uses a patient's own white blood cells, which are matured in the laboratory then transfused back into the patient. Prof Gowans, head of the scientific team at the Burnet Institute, said he hoped to start treatments within months. "This is totally novel. It will be the first time tested in human patients with hepatitis C and the first time in the world," he said. Prof Gowans said the treatment used the patient's own immune response to boost the fight against the virus. Specific white blood cells called dendritic cells, which are vital for development of an immune response, are generated in the laboratory from the patient's blood. The dendritic cells are then stimulated to directly attack the hepatitis C virus before being transfused into the patient. "All the theory and preliminary evidence suggests when these dendritic cells go back to the patient, it stimulates an immune response against the virus," Prof Gowans said. If successful, the treatment could cut treatment from 6-12 months to just one month. There are about 225,000 people infected with hepatitis C and 16,000 new infections each year. About 80 per cent of patients develop a persistent infection that is usually life-long. Current treatment with interferon and ribavirin cures about 50 per cent of people. Prof Gowans is seeking people with hepatitis C to participate in clinical trials of the new treatment. Suitable trial participants must be hepatitis C (genotype one) positive and have already had treatment with interferon or ribavirin that failed. Anyone interested in taking part in the trial can contact Prof Gowans on 9282 2204.

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