Taming a beast: lessons from the domestication of hepatitis C virus. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • "What I cannot create, I do not understand." Richard Feynman may have championed reasoning from first principles in his famous blackboard missive, but he could just as well have been referring to the plight of a molecular virologist. What cannot be grown in a controlled laboratory setting, we cannot fully understand. The story of the laboratory domestication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is now a classic example of virologists applying all manner of inventive skill to create cell-based models of infection in order to clarify prospective drug targets. In this review, we highlight key successes and failures that were instructive in achieving cell-based models for HCV studies and drug development. We also emphasize the lessons learned from the ∼40 year saga that may be applicable to viruses yet unknown and uncultured.

publication date

  • March 12, 2019

Research

keywords

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Hepacivirus
  • Hepatitis C

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC6556422

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85062721386

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.08.061

PubMed ID

  • 30875640

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 35