The breadth of CD8+ T cell responses in chronic and resolved HBV infection

Introduction: Approx. 350 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) worldwide. HBV-specific CD8+ T cells are crucial for viral clearance. T cell based immunotherapies are thus a promising strategy for clearance of chronic HBV infection. However, little is known about HBV-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes. Therefore, we aim to identify novel HBV-specific CD8+ T cell epitopes and to differentiate the CD8+ T cell repertoire in chronically HBV infected patients compared to patients who spontaneously eliminated the virus. Methods: PBMC from 70 patients chronically infected with HBV genotype D a…