Efficient Inhibition of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Replication and cccDNA Formation by HBV Ribonuclease H Inhibitors during Infection

Abstract
The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) ribonuclease H (RNase H) is an attractive but unexploited drug target. Here, we addressed three limitations to the current state of RNase H inhibitor development: (a) Efficacy has been assessed only in transfected cell lines. (b) Cytotoxicity data are from transformed cell lines rather than primary cells. (c) It is unknown how the compounds work against nucleos(t)ide analog resistant HBV strains.
Funding Information
  • HHS | National Institutes of Health (R01 AI148362, R01 AI122669, R01 AI150610)