Researchers Have Silenced Hepatitis B Using Epigenetic Tags
A new therapy has entered clinical trials after successfully suppressing viral replication in laboratory settings.
Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Biotech
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Scientists have developed an epigenetic editing therapy that uses lipid nanoparticles to silence the hepatitis B virus. The treatment, which is now in clinical trials, has been shown to prevent the virus from producing viral particles in human liver cells and mice.
Why it matters
This approach targets the virus's ability to persist as mini-chromosomes, a mechanism that helps hepatitis B hide from the immune system. The therapy offers a potential alternative to long-term medication for the more than 250 million people affected globally.
The therapy, CRMA-1001, utilizes a modified Cas9 enzyme that lacks DNA-cutting activity to precisely target the hepatitis B genome. By delivering methyl tags via lipid nanoparticles, the method suppresses viral production without permanently altering the host's underlying DNA sequence.
The players
nChroma Bio
A Boston-based biotechnology firm focused on the development of epigenetic therapies for chronic viral infections.
The details
The treatment employs a modified Cas9 enzyme — a protein that functions as molecular scissors — that has been engineered to lose its ability to cut DNA. Instead, this system acts as a delivery vehicle for chemical methyl tags, which are attached to the viral genome to silence it. By encapsulating these components within lipid nanoparticles — tiny fat-based spheres used for intracellular drug delivery — the therapy reaches both free-ranging and integrated viral DNA in human liver cells.
Timeline
January 2026: First clinical trial participant received the therapy via intravenous infusion.
September 21, 2026: Study findings were published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
The Tech Race
This development represents a shift in CRISPR-based therapeutics from traditional genome editing to non-destructive epigenetic regulation. It follows a pattern of research aimed at overcoming the limitations of gene-cutting, which is currently focused on finding safer ways to silence persistent viral reservoirs.
The therapy is currently in early-stage clinical trials, and availability to the general public remains unannounced. Patients currently managing the virus with long-term medications will need to await further data from current multi-dose clinical studies to determine future treatment timelines.
The takeaway
This study demonstrates that silencing the hepatitis B virus without cutting its DNA is possible in laboratory models. Future updates will depend on the results of the ongoing clinical trials testing various dosages in human participants.
Further reading
For more on emerging treatments in the sector, visit Biotech.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Nature.
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