An international study to seek to understand the mechanisms of hepatitis B will be led by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, with Brazilian participation. In Brazil, the Cassiano Antônio Moraes University Hospital of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (Hucam-Ufes) and the University of São Paulo (USP) will be part of the research. The research consortium will also include educational institutions from India, Senegal, and Uganda.
Hepatitis B is a viral disease, meaning it is caused by a virus. The research will analyze the behavior of this virus in the immune system of people from different countries, as well as investigate how this immune response occurred. Another important point of the study is to understand what happens in the body when a person is simultaneously infected with hepatitis B and HIV.
In Brazil, the research has already begun this year. A total of 150 Brazilians with hepatitis B and with coinfection by hepatitis B and HIV will participate in the study over four and a half years. The total number of participants worldwide will be 600 people, who will help researchers advance studies on the disease.
