Hepatitis C interacts with humans

A big data study of hepatitis C and more than 500 patients with the virus has opened the way for a better understanding of how the virus interacts with its human hosts. Researchers at the University of Oxford have for the first time developed a method for analysing and comparing the genetic makeup of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as that of more than 500 patients with the virus. Looked at together, this will give researchers new insights into HCV and how the human genome interacts with and changes the virus. Viral hepatitis is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, with 2-3% of the world's population thought to be infected with HCV, including an estimated 300,000 in the UK. Many people are unaware they are infected with the virus, which left untreated can led to liver disease and cancer. Professor Ellie Barnes from the Nuffield Department of Medicine, who led the study with Dr Chris Spencer, said: 'This is the first use of a big-data study to look at a virus and host together. We identified two places in the human genome where the genetic variation that calibrates our immune system affects the genetic diversity of the virus.