Project IP-CURE-B

Activity summary

The aim of the IP-CURE-B project is to develop new curative concepts for chronic hepatitis B based on the remodelling of intrahepatic immune responses. The consortium of 14 partners is also working on a preclinical immune therapy platform, a proof-of-concept clinical trial and virological and immune profiling of patients to improve treatment follow-up.

The project will aim to :
• Carrying out a clinical proof of concept to evaluate new immunomodulatory strategies aimed at strengthening innate immunity and remodelling the immune environment in the infected liver with a view to improving adaptive immunity and responding better to stimulation by a therapeutic vaccine.
• Characterising biomarkers and immune and viral signatures in clinically relevant cohorts, which will then be used to stratify patients for treatment and monitor responses to host-targeted therapies.
• Design, produce and select the best DNA replicon-based (DREP) and dendritic cell (DC)-targeted HBC vaccines and their combinations. They will be evaluated in the HIS- HUHEP double-humanised mouse model, with the same innate immunity enhancement, before moving on to evaluation in clinical trials.
• Carrying out a clinical proof of concept to evaluate new immunomodulatory strategies aimed at strengthening innate immunity and remodelling the immune environment in the infected liver with a view to improving adaptive immunity and responding better to stimulation by a therapeutic vaccine.
• Characterising biomarkers and immune and viral signatures in clinically relevant cohorts, which will then be used to stratify patients for treatment and monitor responses to host-targeted therapies.
• Design, produce and select the best DNA replicon-based (DREP) and dendritic cell (DC)-targeted HBC vaccines and their combinations. They will be evaluated in the HIS- HUHEP double-humanised mouse model, with the same innate immunity enhancement, before moving on to evaluation in clinical trials.