A 53,000-year-old strain of hepatitis B (HBV) unique to the Northern Territory is giving new hope for preventative treatment against liver cancer.
New research has suggested the C4 strain of HBV entered Australia tens of thousands of years ago.
That
subtype has not been found anywhere else in the world outside of the
Northern Territory, where there are high rates of liver cancer among
Indigenous Australians.
Dr Josh Davis, from Menzies School of
Health Research, said the strain seemed to be "more aggressive than the
strains found elsewhere".
Read more...Labels: Australia, C4, Research and Discoveries