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Biography |
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Dr. Azzazy is a professor and Chairman of the Chemistry Department at the American University In Cairo (AUC). He is also the director of the chemistry graduate program and the leader of “Novel Diagnostics & Therapeutics” research group at the Yousef-Jameel Science & Technology Research Center at AUC. Dr. Azzazy is also an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Biotechnology, University of Maryland University College, USA. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Clinical Biochemistry, Clin Chimica Acta, and Clinical Chemistry Laboratory Medicine journals. Dr. Azzazy has published over 120 articles, book chapters, conference abstracts, and monographs all in international journals, textbooks, and conferences. Dr. Azzazy is the recipient of numerous honors and awards the latest of which are the AUC 2008 Excellence in Research & Creative Endeavors Award and the AUC 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award. He is certified as a diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Chemistry, Washington, DC, USA in two specializations: clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics. He is also certified as a Specialist in Clinical Chemistry (SC), Board of Registry, the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Chicago, IL, USA. Dr. Azzazy is a fellow of the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (FACB), Washington, DC, USA.
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Abstract |
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INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR TACKLING THE HCV CHALLENGE
Nearly 170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and approximately 60-85 percent of infected patients will become chronically infected. HCV is a main cause of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. Currently, HCV transmission occurs mainly via iatrogenic routes, however, intra-familial transmission is also a concern. A recent meta-analysis on HCV prevalence among households of HCV patients in Italy found that having an HCV-infected family member in the household constitutes a considerable risk factor to other family members. HCV mutates all the time thus evades the immune system and greatly hinders vaccine development efforts and complicates treatment.
On the diagnostic front, diagnosis of acute HCV infection is crucial for ensuring efficacy of therapy, but it remains a challenge because most infected patients are asymptomatic and current tests are unable to differentiate between acute and chronic infections. Usually, acute HCV can be diagnosed through systematic monitoring of high–risk populations. Nanoparticle-based assay prototypes have been developed for detection of HCV RNA, proteins, and genotypes. Among the most commonly used nanoparticles are quantum dots and gold nanoparticles. These nanoparticles possess unique photophysical properties that would allow their utilization for development of assays superior to current molecular tests and immunoassays in terms of speed, cost, sensitivity, and multiplexing potential.
Current therapeutic options are limited to pegylated interferon and ribavirin that may stop or slow disease progression but are expensive and cause severe side effects. Therapeutic approaches are focused on prevention of viral entry into hepatocytes and disruption of viral replication. The use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) has been proposed to halt viral replication in hepatocytes. However, this approach suffers from toxicity and cellular delivery problems. Smart drug nanocarriers have been proposed for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents into hepatocytes. Leading candidates for drug development are protease and polymerase inhibitors. Polymerase inhibitors are more popular because the viral polymerase is not found in humans, thus conferring a degree of therapeutic specificity to the virus. On the other hand, new drugs for novel targets can be developed by utilizing protein modeling simulation and docking tools. Finally, a detailed mapping of the immune response during various stages of the disease can provide insight to aid therapy development efforts.
Several approaches are being investigated to face the vaccine development challenges. Passive immunotherapy is predicted to prevent re-infection of liver grafts in HCV liver transplant patients, reduce viral load in chronic HCV patients, and serve as a prophylactic measure in post-exposure events. Research efforts focus on developing neutralizing antibodies, few of which are recombinant and humanized, for passive immunotherapy. Several other approaches are being investigated for vaccine development including DNA, peptide, and recombinant protein vaccines.
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