Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) Evaluation of the Intrahepatic HBV Reservoir and Its Immunological Characteristics in Chronically HBV-infected Patients (RES-HBV)

April 20, 2026 updated by: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Evaluation of the Intrahepatic Hepatitis B Virus Reservoir and Its Immunological Characteristics in Chronically HBV-infected Patients - Pilot Study

Two hundred and ninety-six million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), with around 750,000 deaths each year linked to the development of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Current treatments based on nucleoside analogues (NA) achieve virological cure in only 5% of cases at 10 years. The virological persistence of HBV is explained by the persistence of cccDNA (covalently-closed circular DNA) in the nucleus of hepatocytes. Complex and poorly understood interactions between immunological and virological responses explain the persistence of ccccDNA. A better understanding of the immunological and virological interactions of the intrahepatic compartment during chronic HBV infection is needed to better understand the mechanisms of viral persistence and for research and development of new drugs to achieve the goal of a functional cure for HBV (defined as the prolonged loss of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) after cessation of treatment, associated with a decrease in intrahepatic cccDNA or its transcriptional inactivation).

The intra-hepatic compartment can be explored by liver biopsy. A fine needle aspiration (FNA) technique is used to characterize primary hepatic tumors, with fewer complications than liver biopsy. One study has validated its use for immunological exploration of the intra-hepatic compartment. Finally, a recently published study confirms a correlation between FNA and liver biopsy virological markers in patients with chronic HBV infection. However, no combined immuno-virological study has been carried out to explore this intra-hepatic compartment by FNA in patients with chronic HBV infection.

The investigators will assess the intrahepatic compartment of patients chronically infected with HBV (+/- hepatitis Delta (HDV)) to understand the mechanisms of viral persistence and characterize host immune responses to HBV. These investigations will make it possible to determine the immuno-virological profiles of patients who would benefit from intensification of antiviral treatment or, potentially, discontinuation of antiviral therapy.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

      • Lyon, France, 69004
        • Recruiting
        • Hepatology Department - Hospices Civils de Lyon
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Fabien ZOULIM, PU-PH

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients (≥ 18 years of age)
  • Patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus at any stage of infection
  • Nucleoside Analogues-treated or untreated
  • Co-infected or not with HDV
  • Included in the prospective CirB-RNA study (part of the CirB-RNA university research program) (ID-RCB : 2018-A02558-47, NCT03825458)
  • Patient informed of the study and having signed a consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant, parturient or breast-feeding women,
  • Patients with decompensated cirrhosis
  • Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (suspected or proven),
  • Liver transplant patients (even if liver transplantation for HBV),
  • Patients co-infected with HCV (positive serum viral load) and/or HIV (regardless of serum viral load).
  • Patients participating at the time of inclusion in an interventional study
  • Persons under psychiatric care,
  • Persons admitted to a health or social institution for purposes other than research
  • Adults under legal protection (legal guardianship, tutorship, curatorship)
  • Persons not affiliated to a social security scheme or beneficiaries of a similar scheme.
  • Patients with abdominal skin lesions and/or infections.
  • Contraindication to lidocaine administration (allergy or hypersensitivity to the product).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: HBsAg <100 IU/ml
Patients chronically mono-infected with HBV, whose HBsAg is less than 100 IU/ml (patients treated or not with NA)

The FNA will be performed at the Croix Rousse digestive pathology day hospital of the Hospices Civils de Lyon by a doctor from the hepatology department who has been trained to perform FNA.

After echography, a subcutaneous anesthesia with LIDOCAÏNE is administered. Two FNA passages will be performed for virological and immunological analyses. The patient will be monitored in the supine position for 1 hour after the procedure.

A single FNA will be performed during the study.

42ml blood sample for study of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and new circulating hepatitis B markers. These samples will enable us to gain a better understanding of peripheral immune responses and to correlate intrahepatic virological data with new serum markers of HBV.
An FNA feasibility and acceptability questionnaire carried out at inclusion (V1) and after the FNA has been performed.
Experimental: HBsAg between 100 and 3000 IU/ml
Patients chronically mono-infected with HBV, with HBsAg levels >100 and <3000 IU/ml (patients treated or not with NA).

The FNA will be performed at the Croix Rousse digestive pathology day hospital of the Hospices Civils de Lyon by a doctor from the hepatology department who has been trained to perform FNA.

After echography, a subcutaneous anesthesia with LIDOCAÏNE is administered. Two FNA passages will be performed for virological and immunological analyses. The patient will be monitored in the supine position for 1 hour after the procedure.

A single FNA will be performed during the study.

42ml blood sample for study of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and new circulating hepatitis B markers. These samples will enable us to gain a better understanding of peripheral immune responses and to correlate intrahepatic virological data with new serum markers of HBV.
An FNA feasibility and acceptability questionnaire carried out at inclusion (V1) and after the FNA has been performed.
Experimental: HBsAg ≥ 3000 IU/ml
Patients chronically mono-infected with HBV, with HBsAg levels ≥ 3000 IU/ml (patients treated or not with NA).

The FNA will be performed at the Croix Rousse digestive pathology day hospital of the Hospices Civils de Lyon by a doctor from the hepatology department who has been trained to perform FNA.

After echography, a subcutaneous anesthesia with LIDOCAÏNE is administered. Two FNA passages will be performed for virological and immunological analyses. The patient will be monitored in the supine position for 1 hour after the procedure.

A single FNA will be performed during the study.

42ml blood sample for study of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and new circulating hepatitis B markers. These samples will enable us to gain a better understanding of peripheral immune responses and to correlate intrahepatic virological data with new serum markers of HBV.
An FNA feasibility and acceptability questionnaire carried out at inclusion (V1) and after the FNA has been performed.
Experimental: Loss of HBsAg (spontaneously or under NA)
Patients with loss of HBsAg (spontaneously or under NA). This group will allow comparison of the HBsAg loss immuno-virological profile with that of patients with active infection and varying levels of HBsAg (groups 1-3 and 5) and aid in identifying of predictors of functional cure. The identification of determinants of HBV functional cure is fundamental and is comparable to investigations that have been carried out in HIV-infected "elite controllers".

The FNA will be performed at the Croix Rousse digestive pathology day hospital of the Hospices Civils de Lyon by a doctor from the hepatology department who has been trained to perform FNA.

After echography, a subcutaneous anesthesia with LIDOCAÏNE is administered. Two FNA passages will be performed for virological and immunological analyses. The patient will be monitored in the supine position for 1 hour after the procedure.

A single FNA will be performed during the study.

42ml blood sample for study of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and new circulating hepatitis B markers. These samples will enable us to gain a better understanding of peripheral immune responses and to correlate intrahepatic virological data with new serum markers of HBV.
An FNA feasibility and acceptability questionnaire carried out at inclusion (V1) and after the FNA has been performed.
Experimental: Patients co-infected with HBV and HDV
Patients co-infected with HDV (positive HDV viral load), regardless of HBsAg level (presence or absence of HBV or HDV treatment)

The FNA will be performed at the Croix Rousse digestive pathology day hospital of the Hospices Civils de Lyon by a doctor from the hepatology department who has been trained to perform FNA.

After echography, a subcutaneous anesthesia with LIDOCAÏNE is administered. Two FNA passages will be performed for virological and immunological analyses. The patient will be monitored in the supine position for 1 hour after the procedure.

A single FNA will be performed during the study.

42ml blood sample for study of circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and new circulating hepatitis B markers. These samples will enable us to gain a better understanding of peripheral immune responses and to correlate intrahepatic virological data with new serum markers of HBV.
An FNA feasibility and acceptability questionnaire carried out at inclusion (V1) and after the FNA has been performed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Interaction between immune response against HBV and intrahepatic HBV viral load
Time Frame: Baseline

The main objective is to analyze the interaction between intrahepatic adaptive immune responses (Number and functional profile of CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ B lymphocytes) and intrahepatic HBV viral load obtained from FNA.

Immune and virological responses obtained from the FNA performed.

Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Correlation between intrahepatic HBV markers and HBV serum markers
Time Frame: Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months after inclusion
Correlate intrahepatic markers of HBV (copies of intra-hepatic HBV, cccDNA, cccDNA transcriptional activity, HBV RNA) and new serum markers of HBV cure (circulating viral RNA, HBcrAg) and their evolution over time Intrahepatic HBV markers obtained from the FNA performed. New serum markers are taken at each visit for 24 months
Baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months and 24 months after inclusion
Intrahepatic immune and virological responses in relation to the phases of HBV or HDV co-infection
Time Frame: Baseline

Analyze immune (copies of intra-hepatic HBV, cccDNA and cccDNA transcriptional activity) and virological responses (Number and functional profile of CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ B lymphocytes) as a function of the phases of chronic HBV infection and co-infection with HDV.

Immune and virological responses obtained from the FNA performed.

Baseline
Intrahepatic immunological and virological responses according to the presence or absence of NA
Time Frame: Baseline

Analyze immune (copies of intra-hepatic HBV, cccDNA and cccDNA transcriptional activity) and virological responses (Number and functional profile of CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ B lymphocytes) according to the presence or absence of NA treatment.

Immune and virological responses obtained from the FNA performed.

Baseline
Assessing patient tolerance and acceptability of FNA
Time Frame: Baseline (before then after FNA)

A questionnaire on the acceptability and tolerance of FNA will be given to each patient at the inclusion visit and after FNA has been performed (15-30 days after inclusion).

An FNA feasibility and acceptability questionnaire carried out at inclusion (V1) and after FNA had been performed.

Baseline (before then after FNA)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Fabien ZOULIM, PU-PH, Service d'Hépatologie de l'Hopital Croix-Rousse

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 8, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 8, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 8, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 14, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

September 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 20, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Subscribe