The Decrease of HCV-specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses after DAA Therapy is Associated with Weak Envelope-Specific CD4 T Cell Immunity

The need for an effective Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) vaccine remains, despite of the development of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Here, we aimed to get a detailed understanding of the longevity and persistence of HCV-specific neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) after DAA-mediated viral clearance and their relation to the CD4 T cell response targeting the HCV-envelope proteins in a longitudinal patient-based study. Thus, we analyzed neutralizing antibodies and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells in a cohort of 27 patients infected with HCV genotype 1a, 1b or 3a.