Dr. Tao, Mi-Hua
Research Fellow
- 02-2789-9151 (L) (Lab) (Room No: N229)
- 02-2652-3078 (O) (Office)
- 02-2782-9142 (Fax)
-
Specialty:
- Viral and Cancer Immunology
- Viral and Cancer Immunotherapy
- Vaccine Development
- Gene Therapy
Education and Positions:
Ph.D. Columbia University (Microbiology and Immunology).
Postdoctoral Fellow. Stanford University (Oncology)
Highlight Detail
Combinatorial RNA Interference Therapy Prevents Selection of Preexisting HBV Variants in Human Liver Chimeric Mice.
Dr. Tao, Mi-Hua
Scientific Reports, Oct 20, 2015Selection of escape mutants with mutations within the target sequence could abolish the antiviral RNA interference activity. Here, we investigated the impact of a pre-existing shRNA-resistant HBV variant on the efficacy of shRNA therapy. Human liver chimeric mice were infected with a mixture of wild-type and T472C HBV, a shRNA S1-resistant HBV variant, and then treated with a single or combined shRNAs. The presence of T472C mutant compromised the therapeutic efficacy of S1 and resulted in replacement of serum wild-type HBV by T472C HBV. In contrast, combinatorial therapy markedly reduced titers for both wild-type and T472C HBV. Our results demonstrate that combinatorial RNAi therapy can minimize the escape of resistant viral mutants in chronic HBV patients.