Sunday, September 13, 2009

Australian scientists have discovered a gene that can inhibit the treatment for hepatitis C

Full Article at: Hep C's treatment 'inhibited by gene'

Posted 3 hours 58 minutes ago
ABC News

Australian scientists, from Sydney's Westmead Millenium Institute, have discovered a gene [interferon lambda] that can inhibit the treatment for hepatitis C.

Approximately half of all Australians infected with hepatitis C, do not respond to the current treatment because they carry this interferon lambda gene.

That makes this "a very important discovery - about 200,000 Australians have hepatitis C," according to Dr Booth, one of the researchers.

"The current therapy is the only therapy available, so it'll only work in about half those people.

"The rest are then left vulnerable to the effect of having chronic infection which includes liver disease such as ... cancer of the liver."