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A research group led by Dr. Satoshi Shigeno (Specially Appointed Assistant Professor) and Professor Naohiro Kodama has demonstrated that IL-1β derived from CD14-positive monocytes in the blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B is involved in the reduction of serum HBs antigen levels and serves as a useful predictive factor.

In this study, the research group conducted a detailed analysis of immune cells in the blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B who were taking oral nucleoside/nucleotide analogs—the current standard of care—using a technique called single-cell gene expression analysis, and revealed that IL-1β, an inflammatory mediator expressed by monocytes among these immune cells, is involved in the reduction of serum HBs antigen—a decrease that is believed to lead to HBV clearance. Furthermore, by focusing on the relationship between serum IL-1β levels one year after the start of nucleoside analog therapy and subsequent changes in serum HBs antigen levels, the researchers found that higher IL-1β concentrations were associated with a greater likelihood of a decrease in HBs antigen levels.

The findings of this study were published in the U.S. scientific journal *Hepatology Communications* in June 2026.

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