Sofiia Harkava

Ms. Sofiia Harkava

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
8 December 2023 in Viruses
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
NKNadiia Kasianchuk
Nadiia Kasianchuk
Krystyna DobrowolskaKrystyna Dobrowolska
Krystyna Dobrowolska
SHSofiia Harkava
Sofiia Harkava
ABAndreea Bretcan
Andreea Bretcan
Dorota Zarębska-MichalukDorota Zarębska-Michaluk
Dorota Zarębska-Michaluk
Piotr RzymskiPiotr Rzymski
Piotr Rzymski
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to cause substantial health and economic burdens, and its target of elimination may not be reached in 2030 without further efforts in diagnostics, non-pharmaceutical prevention measures, vaccination, and treatment. Current therapeutic options in chronic HBV, based on interferons and/or nucleos(t)ide analogs, suppress the virus replication but do not eliminate the pathogen and suffer from several constraints. This paper reviews the progress on biotechnological approaches in functional and definitive HBV treatments, including gene-editing tools, i.e., zinc-finger proteins, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and CRISPR/Cas9, as well as therapeutics based on RNA interference. The advantages and challenges of these approaches are also discussed. Although the safety and efficacy of gene-editing tools in HBV therapies are yet to be demonstrated, they show promise for the revitalization of a much-needed advance in the field and offer viral eradication. Particular hopes are related to CRISPR/Cas9; however, therapeutics employing this system are yet to enter the clinical testing phases. In contrast, a number of candidates based on RNA interference, intending to confer a functional cure, have already been introduced to human studies. However, larger and longer trials are required to assess their efficacy and safety. Considering that prevention is always superior to treatment, it is essential to pursue global efforts in HBV vaccination.