HCV Core Antigen as an alternative test to Quantitative HCV RNA for assessment of SVR in Chronic HCV infected patients treated with Direct Acting Antiviral agents

Abstract

To this day, hepatitis C virus infection represents a global burden. The long term impact of HCV infection is highly variable, ranging from minimal effects to severe extra-hepatic complications. The goal of therapy is to eradicate HCV and in light of the advances in HCV therapy, simplification of diagnosis confirmation, pre-treatment diagnostic workup and treatment monitoring is required to ensure broad access to these new therapies. HCV RNA monitoring using NAATs with a lower detection level of 15 IU/ml is the gold standard for defining sustained virologic response after DAA treatment. Yet it is an expensive and time-consuming assay which raises the need to establish cheaper assays without compromising reliability. HCV core antigen quantification might be a