Research advances in anti-hepatitis B virus therapy targeting covalently closed circular DNA

The incurable chronic infection caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the major health burden worldwide. Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) exists in the nucleus of infected cells as a stable minichromosome, and when a new therapy realizes inactivation or eliminates persistent cccDNA in infected hepatocytes, the natural process of chronic infection and long-term antiviral therapy will no longer exist. This article introduces the methods targeting cccDNA, such as gene editing and epigenetic modification, so as to achieve the complete cure of HBV infection.