Mechanistic dynamics of Hepatitis C virus replication in single liver cells

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes chronic liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis and liver carcinoma. Although substantial progress is being made in the development of direct acting antivirals (DAAs), which specifically target certain virus-encoded gene products, current treatment options are limited and suffer from substantial side effects. A deeper insight into the HCV replication cycle, in particular the molecular dynamics, and the impact of DAAs upon this process may have broad-ranging implications such as enhancing our knowledge of the mechanisms of e.g. viral RNA replication (in particular the…