Progress, evolving therapeutic/diagnostic approaches, and challenges in the management of hepatitis C virus infections

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are emerging as one of the foremost challenges in healthcare owing to its chronicity and the virus’s quasispecies nature. Worldwide, over 170 million people are chronically infected with HCV, with an annual mortality of over 500,000 people across the world. The emerging pathophysiological evidence links HCV infections to a risk of developing liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite the great strides that have been made towards understanding the pathophysiology of disease progression, the tailored treatments of HCV infection remain to be established. The present review provides an update of the literature pertaining to evolving therapeutic approaches and prophylactic measures for the effective management of HCV infections. An extensive discussion of established and experimental immune prophylactic measures also sheds light on current developments in the design of vaccination strategies against HCV infection. We have also attempted to address the application of nanotechnology in formulating effective therapeutic interventions against HCV. Pointing out the limitations of the existing diagnostic methods and therapeutic approaches against HCV might inspire the design and development of novel, efficient, reliable, and cost-effective diagnostic technologies as well as novel therapeutic and immune prophylactic interventions for the effective management of HCV.