A group of South Korean scientists claimed Tuesday they have identified how hepatitis C damages the liver for the first time in the world, opening the way for the development of cures without serious side effects.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by a virus that primarily affects the liver. There already exists treatment for the disease, but the existing medication comes with serious side effects that include damage to the liver, according to the research team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

They said this has been largely because of a failure to identify how the hepatitis C virus actually affects the liver.

“This study will allow significant improvements in treating hepatitis C patients as it has identified how the hepatitis C virus interacts with its host’s liver cells,” Choi Cheol-hee, a professor of bio and brain engineering at KAIST, was quoted as saying.

The study was also conducted by three other professors and researchers from the university in Daejeon, 200 kilometers south of Seoul.

According to a press release from KAIST, the study has confirmed that the hepatitis C virus stimulates the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine or type of protein that in turn stimulates apoptotic or the programmed death of cells, and thus causing what can be termed as self-inflicted damage to the liver.

This means TNF-α, which is designed to fight the hepatitis virus, is in fact killing healthy liver cells at the same time, it said.

“The finding will allow the development of a new, side effect-free medicine that can minimize liver damage while treating the disease caused by the virus,” the press release said. (Yonhap News)