Hepatitis
Many varieties of the hepatitis virus cause inflammation of the liver, which can lead to severe illness or even death when left untreated. Millions of people are infected with hepatitis viruses worldwide and it remains a leading cause of hepatocellular carcinomas, especially in individuals born in the U.S.A. between 1945 and 1965. While cures have been developed for the deadliest variant, Hepatitis C (HCV), reinfection can occur because HCV is very prone to mutation. This tendency to mutate has also hindered the development of a HCV vaccine. While an effective vaccine is available for the more common Hepatitis B (HBV) virus, it still infects millions annually and causes illnesses ranging from flu-like symptoms to liver failure. HBV is a DNA virus that utilizes the nuclear machinery of the hepatocyte to replicate. Infection and subsequent replication can be modeled in primary human hepatocytes in culture, and has been used to develop large scale screening protocols for new drugs that attack the progression of the virions to the closed circular DNA, which eventually leads to inflammation and other symptoms. So far, HBV has eluded efforts to develop curative drugs. (4) For hepatitis studies in vitro, our hepatocytes prequalified to be plateable for 5 days in culture are ideal. These include the General Purpose (HUCPG), Induction Qualified (HUCPI), and Transporter Qualified (HUCPQ) cells.
Malaria
Nearly half of the world’s population lives in regions where inhabitants are at risk for malaria infection and more than 500,000 people worldwide die from the disease each year. Malaria is caused by a Plasmodium parasite, which has a life cycle that includes the human liver; specifically, the infection of hepatocytes. As shown in Figure 4, Plasmodium sporozoites undergo a major replication event in the hepatocyte before entering the next stage of the life cycle in the blood. Once the parasite is in the blood, the infected person begins to experience the symptoms associated with malaria; alternating chills and fever, fatigue, and others. The development of clinical interventions for the liver stage of the Plasmodium life cycle has become of interest, not only to prevent malaria symptoms, but also the spread of the parasite back to the mosquito, through the blood. For hepatitis studies in vitro, our hepatocytes prequalified to be plateable for 5 days in culture are ideal. These include the General Purpose (HUCPG), Induction Qualified (HUCPI), and Transporter Qualified (HUCPQ) cells.