Baruch S. Blumberg Institute

06/09/2026

The Blumberg Institute ‘s Yellow Fever research team participated in the International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) held in Prague.

We’re thrilled to celebrate Jinhong Chang, PhD, who presented the program’s history and recent progress and was honored with the Alice Ball Excellence Award for outstanding scientific leadership, mentorship and dedication to inclusivity.

The team shared several updates from our program, including poster presentations by David Renner, Ph.D., and Julianna Deakyne, Ph.D., DABT. David was recognized with 1st Place in the Post-Doctoral Category.

Yanming Du, PhD, also delivered an oral presentation focused on backup antiviral development and lead optimization.

We are excited about what’s next for our antiviral research program team! 👏🔬

06/09/2026

In a newly published study, researchers examined how integrated hepatitis B virus DNA differs between HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients.

Read the publication here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42031533/

HBeAg(-) CHB was associated with high HBsAg staining concentration despite low cccDNA levels suggesting that iDNA was the primary source of HBsAg. The high frequency of DR2-DR1 iDNA distribution in HBeAg(-) CHB suggests the selection advantage and clonal expansion of this integrant in the natural hi...

06/08/2026

🔬Ju-Tao Guo, MD, president and W. Thomas London Professor at the Blumberg Institute, is investigating the mechanisms of virus and flavivirus replication with molecular cell biology and chemical genetics approaches and developing therapeutics for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and emerging RNA virus infections.

Dr. Guo has been working on molecular , innate immunology and antiviral drug discovery over the past 40 years. He has published more than 150 research papers, reviews and commentaries in peer-reviewed journals and holds 10 patents.

His laboratory identified key cellular proteins involved in the biosynthesis of HBV cccDNA, revealed the critical role of capsid protein dynamic phosphorylation in nucleocapsid assembly and discovered several novel chemotypes of small molecular HBV capsid assembly modulators (CAMs).

👉Please support the groundbreaking research being done at the Blumberg Institute - https://blumberginstitute.org/donate/

06/07/2026

🔬 New publication by Ying-Hsiu Su, PhD, professor at the Blumberg Institute explores:

“Detection and characterization of Hepatitis B virus double-stranded linear DNA-derived covalently closed circular DNA in chronic hepatitis B patients.”

Learn more here 🔗 : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41734230/

dsl-cccDNA is more abundant and diverse among the HBeAg(+) CHB subjects. The existence of replication-defective dsl-cccDNA may facilitate immune evasion and HBV integration, and complicate HBV pathogenesis.

06/05/2026

Scientists from the Blumberg Institute have developed a new system that helps detect B virus activity in living cells without disrupting how the virus behaves.

Read the full study here 👉

The compact genomic organization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has long hindered the development of reporter viruses that do not compromise viral gene expression and replication. Leveraging the advantage of an RNA-sensing and ADAR-editing-dependent cellular reporter system termed r …

06/05/2026

Hepion Pharmaceuticals has in-licensed a novel, selective ctRNA biomarker assay from Cirna Diagnostics, spinout company of the Blumberg Institute, in development for the early diagnosis and surveillance of liver cancer in high-risk patients.

More here -

Next-generation, non-invasive diagnostic platform has potential applications in solid tumor types beyond liver cancer Licensing deal reflects Hepion’s...

06/05/2026

🌎 Happy World Environment Day! 🌿

Today, we recognize the importance of protecting our planet and preserving its resources for future generations. Scientific innovation plays a vital role in addressing environmental challenges, from improving public health to developing sustainable solutions that benefit communities around the world.

06/04/2026

Our research team, led by Liudi Tang, PhD, is conducting unbiased genome-wide screens to identify key interactions between hepatitis B and liver cells.

This ongoing study has the potential to strengthen our understanding of HBV virology, identify host-encoded antiviral targets and ultimately advance the efforts toward a functional cure for chronic HBV infections. 🧪📚

Learn more in our 2025 annual report here:https://blumberginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Annual-Report-2025.pdf

06/02/2026

🔬There currently is no effective treatment for , which kills thousands of people every year. Blumberg Institute scientists, led by Jinhong Chang, MD, PhD, have discovered a new type of small , direct-acting antiviral drug that has demonstrated effectiveness against yellow fever in a series of lab studies. 🧪

Dr. Chang and her team tested more than 27,000 compounds before identifying one that showed some effect against dengue. Their further analysis showed that the was extremely effective against yellow fever with an unprecedented mode-of-action. Subsequent structure optimization was performed by Dr. Yanming Du’s team to generate a promising lead candidate.

Please support the groundbreaking research being done at the Blumberg Institute: 👉https://blumberginstitute.org/donate/.

06/01/2026

The Blumberg Institute laboratory, led by Qiong Zhao, PhD, is now investigating how cells decide which DNA repair pathway to use during the synthesis of cccDNA, which may help reveal new strategies to target chronic HBV infection. 🔬🧫

Learn more in our 2025 annual lab report here:https://blumberginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Annual-Report-2025.pdf