A recent study from Hannover, conducted within the framework of the Excellence Cluster RESIST, provides important insights for understanding and the future treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Researchers from Hannover Medical School (MHH), the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), TWINCORE, and the Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM), a joint institution of HZI and MHH and a core component of RESIST, have demonstrated that a previously underappreciated group of immune cells, known as γδ T cells, plays a central role in controlling viral infection. The study was published in the journal Gut.
γδ T cells are capable of specifically recognizing and eliminating infected cells via antibody-mediated mechanisms. These findings are particularly relevant in the context of developing new therapeutic strategies aimed at achieving a functional cure for hepatitis B. While current therapies suppress the virus, long-term immunological control of the infection is rarely achieved. “The mechanisms we have now identified open up new possibilities to specifically strengthen the body’s own immune response and thus take a decisive step towards a cure,” explains Prof. Anke Kraft, co-head of the Department of “Immunology of Viral Hepatitis and Infections in Liver Cirrhosis” at CiiM and an active member of the RESIST Excellence Cluster.
At the core of the study, led by Prof. Anke Kraft, Prof. Markus Cornberg, and Prof. Yannic Bartsch, is not only the scientific discovery itself, but also the underlying research structure as actively fostered within the RESIST Excellence Cluster. The work exemplifies the successful integration of clinical cohorts, experimental models, and immunological expertise. “We standardized patient data and samples from MHH via CiiM and combined them with innovative functional models at TWINCORE, along with highly specialized expertise in the field of γδ T cells,” explains Prof. Markus Cornberg, co-head of the Department of “Immunology of Viral Hepatitis and Infections in Liver Cirrhosis” and co-director of CiiM. This close integration is a central element of the RESIST Excellence Cluster, which specifically enables and systematically advances such interdisciplinary approaches. The study demonstrates how the RESIST framework allows for the identification of new immunological principles while simultaneously placing them in a clinical context.
“A functional cure for hepatitis B requires a deep understanding of antiviral immunity,” emphasizes Prof. Yannic Bartsch, head of the junior research group “Antiviral Antibody Omics” at TWINCORE and a member of the RESIST network. “Our findings show that previously underappreciated immune cell types can play a decisive role in this process.”
This work underscores the strategic importance of Hannover as an internationally visible center for individualized infection medicine and highlights how the close collaboration between MHH, HZI, TWINCORE, and CiiM within the RESIST Excellence Cluster is opening up new avenues for the treatment of chronic viral infections.
Photo: CiiM