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About Us
The Greenview Foundation's Hepatitis C Research Fund is a charity raising money for medical research to
improve the diagnosis and treatment options of Hepatitis C patients worldwide.
Hepatitis C Virus: The Silent Epidemic
Hepatitis C is a serious, often chronic and potentially fatal disease that afflicts approximately 4-5 million
Americans and is the #1 reason for liver transplants. The yearly death rate in the U.S. is estimated to be
8,000 - 12,000. Many of these Americans are health care workers that were exposed to infected patients. Many
others are unfortunate people that received blood transfusions as medical patients in the 1980's before hepatitis
C was detectable. Worldwide, more than 2000 million people are estimated to have hepatitis C,
most without yet knowing it.
Hepatitis C Virus, HCV, is a serious, often chronic and potentially fatal disease afflicting approximately 4
million Americans. The yearly death rate in the U.S. is estimated to be 8,000 -12,000. HCV is primarily
transmitted through direct exposure to blood through an opening in the skin or mucus membrane, so anything
involving needles and infected blood could and can spread HCV. It causes inflammation in the liver, which can
result in damage to liver tissue and it is the #1 reason for liver transplants. Most people affected with
chronic HCV do not have obvious symptoms and are not diagnosed until they have advanced liver disease, cirrhosis,
or liver cancer. Many of the afflicted are health care workers who were exposed to infected patients. Many others
received blood products as medical patients in the 1980's before hepatitis C was detectable. Worldwide, more than
200 million people are estimated to have hepatitis C, most without yet knowing it.
Current treatment for HCV is a combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, which is only 45-50%
effective. Of those who start, 15-35% are unable to complete treatment due to side effects. Following expected FDA
approval, a choice of two new drugs, boceprevir or telaprevir, should be added to in 2011. This should improve the
effectiveness of the treatment to 80%, but the side effects will still be significant.
Mission
Despite the vast number of people with hepatitis C, the seriousness of the disease and the alarming number of deaths, research for a cure or better treatment receives very little funding. The Greenview Foundation's Hepatitis C Fund exists to raise money for medical research, primarily in the form of seed money for promising research projects that might not otherwise progress far enough to be eligible for large grants. We are particularly interested in these main areas:
1. Non- Interferon based treatment(s) because most treatment side effects stem from this drug
2. Non-invasive diagnostic procedures to assess disease progression because a liver biopsy, the current standard of assessment, is unpleasant, expensive and carries it's own risks. Patients will avoid having a liver biopsy if at all possible and jeopardize their chances of survival
3. Methods to decrease side effects of available treatments because not only can side effects deter a patient from completing treatment, they can also be serious and permanent.
