The Role and Regulatory Mechanism of Germinal Center Immune Response in Hepatitis B Virus Infection

The purpose of this observational study is to investigate the structure and composition of germinal centers in individuals with chronic HBV infection. The primary questions it aims to address are: What are the phenotypes, functions, and complexity of B cell clones of the immune cells within the germinal centers of chronic HBV-infected individuals? Do chronic HBV-infected individuals have ectopic germinal centers in the liver? This will be studied by collecting peripheral blood and discarded liver, lymph node, and tonsil tissues from chronic HBV patients undergoing lymph node surgery, hepatectomy, and tonsillectomy.

NCT Number	NCT07240350
Lead Sponsor	Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University
Conditions	Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Enrollment	280 participants
Start Date	2021-01-01
Primary Completion	2026-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-02-12 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-04-16