Our Solution: Hepativir-B
Our cure for chronic HBV, Hepativir-B, has two main parts: the lipid nanoparticle for drug delivery and a combination of two CRISPR-Cas9s.
The lipid nanoparticle consists of a lipid monolayer encapsulating the CRISPR-Cas9 enzymes in order to protect them while en route to liver cells infected with HBV. These nanoparticles are coated with GalNAc, a chemical which binds avidly to the ASGPR, a receptor that is highly expressed (~ 10 million copies per cell) on the surface of liver cells, also known as hepatocytes. GalNAc ensures that the lipid nanoparticles reach the intended cells, hepatocytes. Once the nanoparticle binds to the cell surface of a hepatocyte, CRISPR-Cas9 can enter the cell.
A diagram of Hepativir-B
The two CRISPR-Cas9 against NTCP and HBx prevent HBV from infecting new liver cells and eliminate already-existing reservoirs of HBV DNA in these cells. See the Why HBx, NTCP? tab.