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Overview

Dr. Dienstag’s research efforts have focused on antiviral therapy for chronic viral hepatitis. He has participated in clinical trials of the major antiviral therapies for chronic hepatitis B and C, beginning with interferon monotherapy and culminating for hepatitis B in nucleoside analogs and for hepatitis C in the highly effective direct-acting antivirals available today. Between 2000 and 2010, he was the clinical center site-PI of a national, NIDDK-supported trial of maintenance antiviral therapy for patients refractory to treatment for chronic hepatitis C, the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) Trial. Beginning in 2003, he studied novel polymerase and protease inhibitors for hepatitis C. Currently, he is a coinvestigator in the NIDDK-supported Harvard Medical School Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network – Clinical Center. In addition, he is chairman of the Harvard Medical School Catalyst Human Research Center Advisory Committee (Clinical Translational Science Center) and serves on data safety monitoring boards and data monitoring committees for ongoing clinical trials.

Research Projects

Ongoing Research Projects

  • Hepatitis B Clinical Research Network – Clinical Center

Publications

Selected Peer-reviewed Publications

  1. Di Bisceglie AM, Shiffman ML, Everson GT, Lindsay KL, Everhart JE, Wright EC, Lee WM, Lok AS, Bonkovsky HL, Morgan TR, Ghany MG, Morishima C, Snow KK, Dienstag JL, HALT-C Trial Investigators. Prolonged therapy of advanced chronic hepatitis C with low dose peginterferon. N Engl J Med 2008;359:2429-2441. [PMID 19052125]
  2. Lok AS, Seeff LB, Morgan TR, Di Bisceglie AM, Sterling RK, Curto TM, Everson GT, Lindsay KL, Lee WM, Bonkovsky HL, Dienstag JL, Ghany MG, Morishima C, Goodman ZD, HALT-C Trial Group. Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and associated risk factors in hepatitis C-related advanced liver disease. Gastroenterology 2009; 136:138-148. [PMID 18848939]
  3. Fontana RJ, Bonkovsky HL, Naishadham D, Dienstag JL, Sterling RK, Lok ASF, Su GL, HALT-C Trial Group. Serum fibrosis marker levels decrease after successful antiviral treatment in chronic hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2009;7:219-226. [PMID 19068241]
  4. Goodman ZD, Stoddard AM, Bonkovsky HL, Fontana RJ, Ghany MG, Morgan TR, Wright EC, Brunt EM, Kleiner DE, Shiffman ML, Everson GT, Lindsay KL, Dienstag JL, Morishima C, HALT-C Trial Group. Fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis C: Morphometric image analysis in the HALT-C Trial. Hepatology 2009;50:1738-1749. [PMID 19824074]
  5. Shiffman ML, Morishima C, Dienstag JL, Lindsay KL, Hoefs JC, Lee WM, Wright EC, Naishadham D, Everson GT, Lok AS, Di Bisceglie AM, Bonkovsky HL, Ghany MG, HALT-C Trial Group. Effect of HCV RNA suppression during peginterferon alfa-2a maintenance therapy on clinical outcomes in the HALT-C Trial. Gastroenterology 2009;137:1986-1994. [PMID 19747918]
  6. Ghany MG, Lok ASF, Everhart JE, Everson GT, Lee WM, Curto TM, Wright EC, Stoddard AM, Sterling RK, Di Bisceglie AM, Bonkovsky HL, Morishima C, Morgan TR, Dienstag JL, HALT-C Trial Group. Predicting clinical and histological outcomes based on standard laboratory tests in advanced chronic hepatitis C. Gastroenterology 2010; 138:136-146. [PMID 19766643]
  7. Everhart JE, Wright EC, Goodman ZD, Dienstag JL, Hoefs JC, Kleiner DE, Ghany MG, Mills AS, Nash SR, Govindarajan S, Rogers TE, Greenson JK, Brunt EM, Bonkovsky HL, Morishima C, Litman HJ, HALT- C Trial Group. Prognostic value of Ishak fibrosis stage: Findings from the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term against Cirrhosis Trial. Hepatology 2010; 51:585-594. [PMID 20101752
  8. Lok AS, Everhart JE, Wright EC, Di Bisceglie AM, Kim H-Y, Sterling RK, Everson GT, Lindsay KL, Lee WM, Bonkovsky HL, Dienstag JL, Ghany MG, Morishima C, Morgan TR, HALT-C Trial Group. Maintenance peginterferon therapy to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma in advanced hepatitis C. Gastroenterology 2011;140:840-849. [PMID 21129375]
  9. Di Bisceglie AM, Stoddard AM, Dienstag JL, Shiffman ML, Seeff LB, Bonkovsky HL, Morishima C, Wright EC, Snow KK, Lee WM, Fontana RJ, Morgan TR, Ghany MG, for the HALT-C Trial Group. Excess mortality in patients with advanced chronic hepatitis C treated with long-term peginterferon. Hepatology 2011; 53:1100-1108. [PMID: 21480316]
  10. Dienstag JL, Ghany MG, Morgan TR, Di Bisceglie AM, Bonkovsky HL, Kim H-Y, Seeff LB, Szabo G, Wright EC, Sterling RK, Everson GT, Lindsay KL, Lee WM, Lok AS, Morishima C, Stoddard AM, Everhart JE, HALT-C Trial Group. A prospective study of the rate of progression in compensated, histologically advanced chronic hepatitis C. Hepatology 2011;54:396-405. [PMID: 21520194]
  11. Fontana RJ, Litman HJ, Dienstag JL, Bonkovsky HL, Su G, Sterling RK, Lok ASK, HALT-C Trial Group. YKL-40 genetic polymorphisms and the risk of liver disease progression in patients with advanced fibrosis due to chronic hepatitis C. Liver International 2012;32:665-674. [PMID 22103814]
  12. Morishima C, Shiffman ML, Dienstag JL, Lindsay KL, Szabo G, Everson GT, Lok AS, Di Bisceglie AM, Ghany MG, Naishadham D, Morgan TR, Wright EC, HALT-C Trial Group. Reduction in hepatic inflammation is associated with less fibrosis progression and fewer clinical outcomes in advanced hepatitis C. Am J Gastroenterol 2012; 107:1388-1398. [PMID 22688849]