When the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with co-infection by the hepatitis D virus (HDV), it causes the most serious viral hepatitis and acceleration in the progression of liver disease. ID Care’s Ronald G. Nahass, MD, MHCM, and Kathleen H. Seneca, APN-BC, MSN, CNL, recently coauthored a paper on research in this area that was published by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Dr. Nahass and Seneca collaborate with Alexander Ploss, Harry C. Weiss Professor in the Life Sciences at Princeton University, on different projects. The paper, titled Development of a Dual Channel Detection System for Pan-genotypic Simultaneous Quantification of Hepatitis B and Delta Viruses, was published in May 2024. “In this project we supplied clinical specimens for his lab in which they evaluated a new assay that could simultaneously quantify the amount of HBV and HDV present in co-infected patients,” says Dr. Nahass.
It is hoped that the research will improve understanding of the complex dynamic interactions of HBV and HDV. In addition, the ID Care providers set up a clinical site for students doing PhD work with Ploss who are in the MD-PhD program. Dr. Nahass hopes to explore broader collaboration with Ploss, who is interested in additional clinical material.