Characterization of liver host factors involved in hepatitis D virus infection for the identification of novel therapeutic targets – DELTArget

Hepatitis D is the most severe form of chonic viral hepatitis. Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a small satellite virus of hepatitis B virus and to date, no treatment allows viral clearance in chonically infected patients. A dual screening approach identified 191 new host factors for HDV infection, including the CAD enzyme, playing a key role in HDV replication. Its specific inhibitors, PALA, exhibits a marked antiviral effect agains HDV and is a candidate for preclinical studies. The aim of that project is the characterisation of these candidats in physiological models, in order to understand their involvment in the viral life cycle and to evaluate their potential as therapeutic targets. Moreover, given the success of our initial screening approach, we aim to test alternative high-throuhgput functional approaches. Collectively, the results of this program will offer a major step toward a multimodal approach to eradicate this major global health threat