Guo Lab

The research lab of Haitao Guo, PhD focuses on the viral pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and antiviral discovery. HBV is the etiologic agent of viral hepatitis B, a disease affecting approximately 350 million people worldwide who suffer the high risk of liver failure, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Active Research

The Guo laboratory aims at understanding the molecular mechanisms of HBV DNA replication and morphogenesis, with special focus on the biosynthesis and regulation of HBV covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA, which is the persistent form of HBV infection, and is the culprit for the failure of current antiviral therapies.

Get Research Updates

To stay current on the medical research work at IU School of Medicine, follow the IU School of Medicine research blog, where investigators throughout the school’s academic departments statewide post updates about their work.

Blogs Hub

Making use of the HBV cccDNA reporter cell line systems, the Guo lab is screening small molecule compound libraries for cccDNA inhibitors in a high throughput fashion, and two identified cccDNA formation inhibitors are currently under preclinical development. In addition, the Guo lab is studying the innate immunity and oncogenic signaling pathways that regulate HBV replication, as well as identification and characterization of interferon stimulated genes and microRNAs that inhibit HBV infection and propagation.

Research Funding

Molecular mechanisms of HBV cccDNA formation

NIH/NIAID R01AI110762, Guo (PI), 03/11/2016-02/29/2020
Development of an HTS Assay for Discovery of HBV cccDNA Inhibitors

NIH/NIAID R01AI123271, Guo (PI), 12/01/2016-11/30/2019
Development of a novel drug candidate that inhibits HBV cccDNA establishment

NIH/NIAID R01AI094474, Guo (PI), 05/05/2011-04/30/2018
Interplay between HBV and AKTmTOR Oncogenic Pathway

IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center Pilot Fund, Guo (PI), 01/01/2017-12/31/2017
Study

Showalter Scholarship Fund, Guo (PI), 07/01/2017-06/30/2020
Development of Novel HBV cccDNA Reporter Systems

Alios Biopharma, Inc., Guo (PI), 04/01/2016-03/31/2018
Characterization of Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors of HBV cccDNA Metabolism

Arbutus Biopharma, Inc., Guo (PI), 08/01/2016-07/31/2018

Recent Publications

2017

Liu, Y., Nie, H., Mao, R., Mitra, B., Cai, D., Yan, R., Guo, J., Block, T., Mechti, N., Guo, H. Interferon-inducible Ribonuclease ISG20 Inhibits Hepatitis B Virus Replication through Directly Binding to the epsilon Stem-loop Structure of Viral RNA. PLoS Pathogens. 2017, 13: e1006296.

Hong, X., Kim, E., Guo, H. Epigenetic Regulation of Hepatitis B Virus Covalently Closed Circular DNA: Implications for Epigenetic Therapy against Chronic Hepatitis B. Hepatology 2017 [Epub ahead of print]

Iwamoto, M., Cai, D., Sugiyama, M., Suzuki, R., Aizaki, H., Ryo, A., Ohtani, N., Tanaka, Y., Mizokami, M., Wakita, T., Guo, H., Watashi, K. Functional association of cellular microtubules with viral capsid assembly supports efficient hepatitis B virus replication. Scientific Reports 2017, 7: 10620.

Yan, R., Cai, D., Liu, Y., Guo, H. Detection of Hepatitis B Virus Particles Released from Cultured Cells by Particle Gel Assay. Methods in Molecular Biology: Hepatitis B Virus. Springer. 2017, 1540: 193-202.
2016

Liu, C., Cai, D., Zhang, L., Tang, W., Yan, R., Guo, H. , Chen, X. Identification of hydrolyzable tannins (punicalagin, punicalin and geraniin) as novel inhibitors of hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA. Antiviral Research 2016, 134:97-107.

Mitra, B., Guo, H. Hepatitis B Virus X Protein Crosses Out Smc5/6 Complex to Maintain cccDNA Transcription. Hepatology. 2016, 64:2246-49.

Cai, D., Wang, X., Yan, R., Mao, R., Liu, Y., Ji, C., Cuconati, A., Guo, H. Establishment of an Inducible HBV Stable Cell Line that Expresses cccDNA-dependent Epitope-tagged HBeAg for Screening of cccDNA Modulators. Antiviral Research 2016, 132: 26-37.
2015

Yan, R., Zhao, X., Cai, D., Liu, Y., Block, T., Guo, J., Guo, H. Interferon-inducible Protein Tetherin Inhibits Hepatitis B Virus Virion Secretion. Journal of Virology 2015, 89: 9200-12.

Yan, R., Zhang, Y., Cai, D., Liu, Y., Cuconati, A., Guo, H. Spinoculation Enhances HBV Infection in NTCP-Reconstituted Hepatocytes. PLoS One 2015, 10(6):e0129889.

Guo, J.T., Guo, H. Metabolism and function of hepatitis B virus cccDNA: Implications for the development of cccDNA-targeting antiviral therapeutics. Antiviral Research. 2015, 122: 91-100.

Faculty Research Team

Additional Research Team Members

Other research team members in the Guo Lab include Quanxin Long, PhD (postdoctoral fellow), Sue Wang (research analyst II), Bidisha (Eshaani) Mitra (PhD student) and Alex Marchetti (PhD student).