HBsAg glycan isomer: a potential circulating biomarker for monitoring cccDNA and predicting virologic response in chronic hepatitis B
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology·
- DOI
- 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1818958
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7203771624
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
If validated, HBsAgGi could offer a minimally invasive serum indicator of intrahepatic cccDNA activity and a tool for monitoring antiviral response in chronic hepatitis B, which is relevant to treatment management in affected populations.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study evaluated whether serum HBsAg glycan isomer (HBsAgGi) can serve as a circulating biomarker reflecting intrahepatic cccDNA and viral transcriptional activity, and whether it predicts virological response to nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy in chronic hepatitis B.
Study design
This is a prospective cohort study enrolling 73 individuals with chronic genotype C HBV infection, with a liver-biopsy sub-cohort (n=16), an HBcrAg sub-cohort (n=28), and a treatment sub-cohort receiving 48 weeks of nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy (n=18). ROC analysis was used to assess biomarker discrimination of virological response.
Population and setting
73 individuals with chronic genotype C HBV infection were studied. Liver biopsies were obtained from 16 patients, HBcrAg was measured in 28, and 18 underwent 48 weeks of nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy. No geographic setting is specified in the supplied metadata.
Main findings
Serum HBsAgGi correlated positively with intrahepatic cccDNA, HBV RNA, and RNA/cccDNA ratio, with stronger correlations than conventional serum markers. HBsAgGi declined during 48 weeks of nucleos(t)ide therapy, and baseline HBsAgGi predicted virological response with an AUC of 0.9538, exceeding other markers tested.
Public-health relevance
If validated, HBsAgGi could offer a minimally invasive serum indicator of intrahepatic cccDNA activity and a tool for monitoring antiviral response in chronic hepatitis B, which is relevant to treatment management in affected populations.
Important limitations
The summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation. Explicit limitations are not stated in the abstract, but evident design constraints include a small overall sample (n=73), sub-cohort sizes of 16, 28, and 18, restriction to genotype C, absence of reported geographic setting, and lack of reported longitudinal follow-up beyond 48 weeks.
GIDS interpretation
Within the GIDS evidence-discovery framework, this article is discoverable as a biomarker-focused study on chronic hepatitis B treatment monitoring. The abstract does not connect the findings to any specific surveillance signal, geographic cluster, or population-level trend.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 6 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.