Valentina Svicher, PhD Associate Professor of Virology, University of Rome; Ana Avellon, PhD, MD Head of the Hepatitis Unit at the Spanish National Center of Microbiology
(PRWEB) September 24, 2018
Hepatitis D virus (HDV) is a unique RNA virus that requires the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) to infect the hepatocytes. Chronic Hepatitis D is recognized as the most severe form of viral hepatitis, leading to accelerated progression of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and a high mortality rate.
HDV infection affects an estimated 15–20 million individuals, is spread worldwide and is endemic in some regions. Moreover, HDV prevalence is increasing in many countries as a consequence of immigration from highly endemic geographic areas.
Despite the severity of hepatitis D, screening and treatment has been often neglected in part due to the lack of an effective therapy. Indeed, interferon alpha is the only anti-HDV drug approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis D, even if its efficacy is limited and side effects can be severe. Future therapeutic options are under investigation targeting HDV entry, HBsAg secretion, and viral assembly.
Although the most aggressive infectious liver disease, hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection may be underdiagnosed both for the unawareness or the unavailability of accurate diagnostic methods. Any hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patient is susceptible to HDV infection for life and consequently searching for HDV should be included in HBV infected patient monitoring guidelines.
The rapid and accurate identification of HDV-infected individuals is essentially in order to optimize the patient management and to prevent the spread of the infection.
This webinar, which is sponsored by DiaSorin, will review current knowledge on virological and epidemiological aspects of HDV infection with particular attention of categories of individuals in which HDV testing should be prioritized. Speakers will identify categories of individuals at risk of acquiring HDV infection, as well as describe current and future HDV treatments.
The speakers for this event will be Dr. Valentina Svicher, an associate professor of virology at the Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rome, Italy and Dr. Ana Avellon, the head of the hepatitis unit at the Spanish National Center of Microbiology, Istituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid, Spain.
LabRoots will host this webinar on November 15, 2018, beginning at 6 a.m. EDT, 3 p.m. CET. To learn more about this event, the continuing education credits offered, or to register for free, click here.
About DiaSorin Group
Headquartered in Italy and listed in the FTSE Mid Cap Index, DiaSorin is a global leader in the In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) field. For over 40 years the Company has been developing, producing and marketing reagent kits for IVD worldwide. Through constant investments in research and development, and using its own distinctive expertise in the field of immunodiagnostics to deliver a high level of innovation, DiaSorin offers today the broadest range of specialty tests available in the immunodiagnostics market and new tests in the molecular diagnostics markets, which identify DiaSorin Group as the IVD “Diagnostics Specialist.”
About LabRoots
LabRoots is the leading scientific social networking website, offering top scientific trending news and premier educational virtual events and webinars. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, LabRoots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, LabRoots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning. We have become a primary source for trending scientific news, webinars, virtual conferences and more. Offering more than articles and webcasts that go beyond the mundane and explore the latest discoveries in the world of science, LabRoots users can stay atop their field by gaining continuing education credits from a wide range of topics through their participation in the webinars and virtual events. Join for free and become part of the largest scientific learning community in the world.