Interferon-based treatment as adjuvant therapy for hepatitis C virus vaccine candidates against chronic infection

therapeutic vaccine candidates against hepatitis c virus infection have demonstrated immunogenicity, but none of them have been able to induce complete viral elimination. reviewed evidence shows hepatitis c virus-specific t cell exhaustion as a major obstacle for the immune containment of the virus. the possibility that hepatitis c virus-specific t cells may be rescued from exhaustion by interferon-based treatment makes this therapy a promising candidate to combine with hepatitis c virus-specific therapeutic vaccine interventions. this review summarizes the main effects of interferon-based therapy on hepatitis c virus-specific cellular immune response in chronic patients and, focuses on its potential to favorably impact the performance of therapeutic vaccine approaches for sustained viral clarification.