A MAJOR new insight into how the Hepatitis B virus works could pave the way for new treatments.

Researchers at the Universities of York identified an “assembly code” in the genetic material of Hepatitis B virus that allows it to create a protective casing in which it can produce new infectious virus particles.

They found that the signal helps viral proteins to overcome an ‘engineering problem’, assembling them into in a particular geometric pattern.

York Press:

Professor Reidun Twarock, a mathematical biologist at the University of York, said: “It is a bit like the chain on a bicycle. If we don’t assemble the chain on the sprockets, it becomes tangled and won’t function. Once assembled correctly, it connects the pedals with the wheels allowing the component parts to work together.

“We see the same process happening between the Hepatitis B RNA signals and the viral proteins.

“The proteins are attracted by these signals, which then promote their assembly into a precise molecular machine that allows the virus to produce a DNA copy of its genetic material and hence become infectious.”

Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids. Around two billion people have been infected worldwide, and around 350 million are carriers.