DuoSTAR HBV program

The DuoSTAR HBV program is an investigational gene editing therapy developed by GeneLancet Biosciences for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. The therapy utilizes the company's proprietary DuoSTAR (dual segNA-guided CRISPR-polymerase editor) platform, which is part of the STAR (Seek-Tag-Amend-Release) technology suite. It employs ligated guide RNA (lgRNA) to precisely target and inactivate both the hepatitis B virus (HBV) covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA)—the persistent viral reservoir responsible for chronic infection—and integrated viral DNA. By degrading these viral DNA forms, the therapy aims to permanently stop viral protein production and achieve a functional cure. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that the DuoSTAR technology can achieve approximately 80% degradation of cccDNA and nearly complete elimination of viral RNAs and proteins in cellular models.

Other names

HBV cccDNA inactivation programChronic Hepatitis B Program