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Stanley M. Lemon, MD

July 28, 2014

UNC researchers discover how Hepatitis C virus persists for years

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) lingers in the human body for years, slowly damaging the liver and leading to liver diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, which is often fatal. Research conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has discovered a mechanism that facilitates the virus achieving this life-long persistence. Chronic HCV infection is the leading cause of liver cancer in the United States.