View all Takeaways

As part of the International Liver Congress (ILC) 2021, the EASL Takeaways take a look at key topics from the congress, with leading experts discussing the most impactful science and putting it into perspective. This session recaps the key studies on viral hepatitis from ILC 2021, and is presented by Professors Anna Lok, Ulrich Spengler and Tobias Böttler.

Professor Lok starts by exploring the benefits of taking patients on or off NUC therapy for chronic hepatitis B virus infections, before discussing the role of immunomodulatory therapies. She then leads a discussion on whether liver biopsies are representative in quantifying cccDNA and assessing transcription activity, and discusses novel capsid modifiers for the treatment of hepatitis B. The panel reviews treatment developments in hepatitis D, focusing on treatment with the entry inhibitor bulevirtide before discussing the management of hepatitis C patients’ post-treatment, and whether globally we are on track for hepatitis C elimination. 

 

Biographies

Anna Lok Anna Suk-Fong Lok, MBBS (HK), MD (HK), DSc (Hons) (HK), FRCP (Edin), FAASLD, AGAF Dr. Lok is currently the Alice Lohrman Andrews Research Professor in Hepatology, Director of Clinical Hepatology and Assistant Dean for Clinical Research at the University of Michigan. Dr Lok’s research focuses on natural history and treatment of hepatitis B and C. Dr Lok served as Associate Editor of Hepatology in 2002-6, co-Editor of Journal of Viral Hepatitis in 2007-9 and a Senior Associate Editor of Gastroenterology in 2011-2012. Dr Lok is the immediate past President of the AASLD.
Ulrich Spengler Ulrich Spengler is Professor Emeritus at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University Bonn in Germany. He is also a member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Educational Committee. He has been a certified specialist in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases. His expertise and scientific interest is in the immunity aspects of liver diseases and infections of the liver.
Tobias Böttler Tobias Böttler is a physician and clinical scientist in the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology and Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Freiburg in Germany. His research group focuses on T-cell immunology, with a particular interest in virus-specific CD4 T-cell responses in the context of viral hepatitis. He is also a member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Scientific Committee.
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