Moving to an online format presented challenges but it boosted participation. About 650 people from around the world logged into the PFDD meeting on hepatitis B and, without geographic limits, we were able to recruit a powerful panel of speakers.

We just recently posted our 55-page report on the PFDD meeting with a full transcript, the email comments that we received and a link to the recording on a dedicated page on the Foundation's website.

"Sometimes I think about what could have been, if we had found out early.

We could have gotten treatment to save your life."

Nancy was a recent college graduate working in Washington, D.C, when she got the call that her father was gravely ill. He was not diagnosed with hepatitis B until it was too late and he was already in the final stages of liver cancer. With the loss of her father, Nancy and her family were left blindsided and angry. "It was too early for him." Please read more.

researchers in hepatitis B and liver diseases for its online Distinguished Speaker Seminars. The series is free-of-charge and open to anyone interested (pre-registration is required).

The next seminar is Dec. 3, with Dr. Stephen Urban, a virologist at the University Hospital Heidelberg.

Upcoming seminars are listed below in "Events" and on the Institute's website here, where you also can watch recording of prior Blumberg 2020 Research Seminars.

We are very pleased that the Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) is offering special rates and engaging activities for patients and advocates at this year’s The Liver Meeting Digital Experience™ (TLMdX).

The registration page is now open. If you have any registration-related issues, please send an email to tlmdxpatients@aasld.org.

It’s easy to become a Hep B Champion! We rely on support from friends from all over the world to keep our programs and research going. By giving a small, monthly gift, you can help us find the cure and improve lives of people living with hepatitis B throughout the year! To become a Champion today, click here.

Hepatitis B core antibody: Role in clinical practice in 2020

Gish, R.G.; Basit, S.A.; Ryan, J.; Dawood, A.; Protzer, U.

Current Hepatology Reports, July 11, 2020

It is crucial for clinicians to understand the need to screen for the hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc). There are some misconceptions that exist that can be potentially harmful when treating the disease. This article breaks down several common misconceptions using the most recent evidence as support. Also, the authors analyze and summarize the best and most current strategies for anti-HBc testing. Please read more here.

"When I first focused my professional attention on HBV, I was certain of two things. First, what I cared about was testing and linkage to care, including antiviral treatment. Second, and completely separate, was a preoccupation with my family heritage that nominally was proposed to be only northern European. Results of recent research, however, have led me down a winding, fascinating coastal “beachcomber” trail that has given me a huge and abiding interest in the origins of human HBV. Please read more here.

A new research study is seeking individuals 12-80 years old living in the U.S. and Canada for interviews. Please read more here.

Week 24 results of this study show promise for this possible combination treatment (with Ritonavir) for the hepatitis delta virus; 96% of patients achieved a decline in hepatitis delta RNA and 58% of trial participants reached a viral load that was undetectable.

This combination will be explored further and week 48 results will be presented in the future. For more on this new potential combination therapy, click here.

Versions in Amharic, Arabic, French and Swahili are here.