Present and future DNA vaccines for chronic hepatitis B treatment

With at least 240 million hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers worldwide, being at a high risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), chronic hepatitis B remains a major public health issue. Because current antiviral treatments are only virostatic, there is an urgent need for the development of innovative anti-HBV strategies leading to the functional cure. In this context, DNA-based vaccines appear as a promising approach. Area covered: In this review, the authors summarize the pertinent features of DNA vaccines for chronic hepatitis B therapy. They review several technologies that improve DNA vaccines efficacy evaluated in animal models of hepadnaviral infection. They also discuss the clinical trials of therapeutic DNA vaccination initiated in HBV-carrier patients. Expert opinion: Preclinical studies in HBV transgenic mice, DHBV-carrier ducks and WHV-infected woodchucks, have clearly demonstrated a benefit of DNA vaccine-based combination therapies for chronic hepatitis B treatment. However, the results of clinical trials conducted in HBV patients were rather disappointing and frustrating, as DNA-vaccines have not shown the same efficacy in patients as in animal models. We are convinced that the design of innovative clinical trials based on strategies able to increase DNA vaccine immunogenicity will allow to advance in this challenging field.