Marrapu S, Soni JR, Kamal K, Kumar R. Hepatitis B functional cure: Current and future perspective. World J Hepatol 2025; 17(10): 110107 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i10.110107]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ramesh Kumar, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Phulwari Sharif, Patna 801507, India. docrameshkr@gmail.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Review
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Oct 27, 2025 (publication date) through Oct 27, 2025
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World Journal of Hepatology
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1948-5182
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Marrapu S, Soni JR, Kamal K, Kumar R. Hepatitis B functional cure: Current and future perspective. World J Hepatol 2025; 17(10): 110107 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i10.110107]
World J Hepatol. Oct 27, 2025; 17(10): 110107 Published online Oct 27, 2025. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v17.i10.110107
Hepatitis B functional cure: Current and future perspective
Sudheer Marrapu, Jinit R Soni, Kislaya Kamal, Ramesh Kumar
Sudheer Marrapu, Jinit R Soni, Kislaya Kamal, Ramesh Kumar, Department of Gastroenterology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna 801507, India
Author contributions: Marrapu S and Kumar R contributed in the concept and design of manuscript, data collection and manuscript writing; Soni JR and Kamal K contributed in the literature search, critical inputs, and manuscript writing.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None of authors have any conflict-of-interest with regard to this work.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ramesh Kumar, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Phulwari Sharif, Patna 801507, India. docrameshkr@gmail.com
Received: May 29, 2025 Revised: July 3, 2025 Accepted: September 18, 2025 Published online: October 27, 2025 Processing time: 151 Days and 17 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Achieving a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B, defined as sustained hepatitis B surface antigen loss with undetectable hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, remains challenging due to the persistence of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and immune dysfunction. While standard therapies, such as nucleos(t)ide analogues and pegylated interferon, yield low seroclearance rates, novel therapeutics targeting various steps in the life cycle of HBV-such as cccDNA silencing, RNA degradation, capsid modulation, and immune restoration- show promise. Combinatorial approaches, including small interfering RNA, checkpoint inhibitors, and therapeutic vaccines, are being evaluated. Identifying predictive biomarkers and optimizing the timing for treatment cessation may improve treatment outcomes.
