Sequential Peg-IFN after bepirovirsen may reduce post-treatment relapse in chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Bepirovirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide, induces sustained reductions in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and HBV DNA to below the lower limit of quantification (
Methods: In this phase IIb, multicentre, open-label trial, participants on stable nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapy were randomised 1:1 to bepirovirsen 300 mg once weekly (plus loading dose on Days 4 and 11) for 24 (Arm 1) or 12 (Arm 2) weeks followed by Peg-IFN 180 μg once weekly for up to 24 weeks, with up to 36 weeks follow-up.

Flipping the switch: dynamic modulation of membrane transporter activity in bacteria.

The controlled entry and expulsion of small molecules across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane is essential for efficient cell growth and cellular homeostasis. While much is known about the transcriptional regulation of genes encoding transporters, less is understood about how transporter activity is modulated once the protein is functional in the membrane, a potentially more rapid and dynamic level of control. In this review, we bring together literature from the bacterial transport community exemplifying the extensive and diverse mechanisms that have evolved to rapidly modulate transporter function, predominantly by switching activity off.