Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40877512›Full record

ArticleMethods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)2025

Generating mRNA Encoding Anti-HBV Designer Epigenome Modifiers.

Prashika Singh, Tafadzwa Mlambo, Kristie Bloom, Claudio Mussolino, Patrick Arbuthnot, Abdullah Ely

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Article in Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Prashika SinghWits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Tafadzwa MlamboInstitute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Kristie BloomWits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Claudio MussolinoInstitute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Patrick ArbuthnotWits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Abdullah ElyWits/SAMRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. abdullah.ely@wits.ac.za.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection poses significant global health challenges, with an estimated 257.5 million individuals affected, leading to approximately 880,000 deaths annually from complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although antiviral therapies are available, they often fail to eliminate the stable viral reservoir of covalently closed circular DNA within infected cells. Recent advancements in epigenome editing offer a promising alternative to traditional mutagenic approaches, providing a strategy to silence HBV replication and transcription directly. This chapter explains the production of mRNA encoding designer epigenome modifiers (DEMs), which were engineered to methylate CpG islands of the viral surface, core, and polymerase open reading frames (ORFs). Utilizing in vitro transcribed mRNA for the expression of these modifiers minimizes risks associated with genomic integration and off-target effects while enhancing therapeutic efficacy. We detail protocols for the in vitro transcription of DEM sequences from the pT7(AG) platform, including methods for the removal of immunostimulatory double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that improve mRNA expression. Additionally, we assess the effectiveness of synthesized mRNA in mediating targeted transcriptional repression of HBV DNA in cultured cells. This approach highlights the potential for epigenetic strategies to provide lasting therapeutic benefits for chronic HBV infection.

Indexed as

Epigenesis, GeneticEpigenomeHepatitis B virusRNA, MessengerAntiviral AgentsCpG IslandsDNA MethylationHumansOpen Reading FramesVirus ReplicationAntiviral AgentsRNA, MessengerCpG islandsDEMsHBVIn vitro transcription

Identifiers

PMID40877512

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.