Editorial: IL-28B polymorphism and response to anti-hepatitis C therapy

Current standard of care for hepatitis C infection is treatment with interferon and ribavirin, Recent genomewide association studies (GWAS) have shown that a genetic polymorphism at rs12979860 near IL28 gene on chromosome 19, encoding interferon-lambda-3, is associated with variable responses to the drugs. CC genotype of IL-28B is associated with two to three fold increases in sustained virologic response (SVR) as compared with either CT or TT genotype. These landmark studies have opened a new chapter in the field of host-viral interactions.