Hi Caraline,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I completely understand—liver biopsies can be quite daunting, which is why part of my goal is to develop less invasive ways to study HBV, like using fine needle aspirates (FNA), which are much gentler.
Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a thin needle to obtain small liver tissue samples. It allows collection of sufficient hepatocytes for molecular analysis of HBV, with reduced patient discomfort and risk compared to traditional liver biopsy. This technique supports monitoring of viral persistence and treatment response with less invasiveness.
I’m based in Australia, working at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research.