Development of murine models to study Hepatitis C virus induced liver pathogenesis

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is involved in different liver pathologies worldwide. In contemporary scenario, HCV treatment is lagging behind owing to absence of vaccines against virus. The only consideration for HCV treatment is pegylated interferon-alpha and ribavirin that results in sustained virological response in 50 % of patients. Two feasible hosts for HCV infection are chimpanzee and humans. For decades, chimpanzees are sole host to study HCV pathogenesis, but their use is limited due to ethical issues. The dilemma behind HCV therapy is the need of sustainable animal models that can help simulate in vivo conditions. We have assembled recent advances in animal models to study liver diseases for targeted therapy.