Assembly Biosciences said Monday that their results from a research study testing the turnover rate of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which plays a pivotal role in the establishment and persistence of HBV infection, has been published in Hepatology, the journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).
“This important translational research study provides us with valuable insight as we and others work to advance potential curative therapeutic regimens for patients with HBV infection,” said Richard Colonno, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Virology Operations at Assembly.
Colonno said that this shows that cccDNA turnover occurs in months, not years as once thought, supporting the possibility of finite therapy if cccDNA replenishment can be effectively blocked. He said that, combining core inhibitors, which inhibit cccDNA establishment, with nucleos(t)ide therapy may provide a regimen that is able to more fully suppress viral replication and inhibit the establishment of new cccDNA.
Colonno said that Assembly plans to evaluate this hypothesis as it begins transitioning patients off treatment later this year in its ongoing Phase 2 long-term extension study (211) with their lead HBV therapeutic, ABI-H0731. He said that they also the company works to advance the clinical development of its second and third core inhibitor candidates.