Dr. Stephan Menne's lab at Georgetown University focuses on understanding and developing new treatments for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The lab works with woodchucks, natural hosts of a closely related virus, to create models that can help evaluate new anti-HBV drugs and better understand how HBV persists in the body. By modifying either the virus or the woodchuck's immune system, the lab aims to improve the efficiency of HBV infection in these models, which is critical for drug development and ultimately for improving patient outcomes.