Research Programs for Liver Disease

in #liver4 years ago

Research Programs for Liver Disease
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The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. HBV can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. With the hepatitis virus on the rise in the United States and across the globe, and with the opioid crisis leading to significant increases in reported cases in the United State such as California, which experienced a large hepatitis outbreak in 2016-2018, primarily among persons experiencing homelessness and/or using drugs in settings of limited sanitation; research programs at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute are more vital now than ever before. As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute puts all of our funding into our research programs for finding solutions for curing viral hepatitis. This funding comes to us in the form of donations from around the United States, as well as parts of Southeast Asia.

Researchers working on studies for liver cancer.

Our scientists use a team-based, entrepreneurial approach to our research programs. Each group works together on common goals and projects while collaborating with scientists all across the globe including China, India, and Japan. Most importantly, our scientists are committed to moving our discoveries pertaining to liver cancer and chronic hepatitis from bench to bedside for human use as quickly as possible. Through this process, we can ultimately save the lives of more people suffering from liver disease than ever before.

The areas of focus within the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute’s research programs include:

New strategies to treat chronic hepatitis B and other forms of liver disease
Biomarker discovery for early cancer detection
Drug discovery and development for other viruses of concern
Addressing public health issues involving liver disease through awareness and testing
Stem cell research aided by our cancer and regenerative medical center
There are ongoing clinical trials at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute for drug development and biomarkers that we have helped discover. We hope that these drugs will make a notable contribution toward the management and cure for hepatitis B, making this a significant milestone for us. Our recent progress in drug developments for Hep B and early detection biomarkers for primary liver cancer inspires more optimism than ever in us, and can also give a greater sense of hope to those living with liver disease.

In 2016, we established the Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center (PCARMRC) as a division of the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute’s research programs. The goal of this division is to focus on cancer therapeutics and biology programs through stem cell research and regenerative medical inquiry.

Please join the fight against HBV.
Over 850,000 people in the United States are estimated to be living with hepatitis B. The actual number may be as high as 2.2 million. There is no cure for chronic hepatitis B virus. Despite the huge human and economic toll of hepatitis B, research to cure the disease remains underfunded.

Through all of our research programs, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute hopes to build upon the strides we have made to combat the hepatitis virus and other forms of liver disease. Of course, none of this could be accomplished without the continuous efforts of our researchers in the United States and other locations, such as China and Southeast Asia. Funding from these areas, and in other places like California, India, and Japan, is also one of the most significant ways that we, as a non-profit, can fund research efforts and discoveries pertaining to HBV.

To continue to make these developments, we need this funding to continue, and we can only do that with your help. You can join the fight against viral hepatitis by making a donation to the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. No donation is too small, and any contribution can go a long way toward improving the lives of the millions who are living with Hep B today.