Longitudinal liver sampling in patients with chronic hepatitis B starting antiviral therapy reveals hepatotoxic CD8+ T cells

The objective of this study is to identify immunological mechanisms that contribute to normalization of liver inflammation in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients starting the antiviral nucleoside analogue, Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF). Investigator-initiated, phase 4 study in which recruited patients received TAF 25mg once daily for 48 weeks. The total duration of the study to End of Follow-up was 48 weeks. After Week 48, participants were offered 2 years of TAF therapy. Sample collection 0, 12, 24 w was chosen to analyze immune responses based on ALT normalization rates. This mono-center study was conducted at Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Canada. ***Raw data for human samples not available due to patient privacy concerns***