Human liver biopsies and DNA isolation

Liver biopsies and blood samples (EDTA-anticoagulated blood) were obtained from HCV-infected patients (n = 13) (patients characteristics are shown in Table 1) in the outpatient clinic of the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. Biopsy material that was not needed for routine histopathology was used for research purposes after obtaining written informed consent. The use of biopsy material for this project was approved by the Ethikkommission Nordwest- und Zentralschweiz, Basel, Switzerland, protocol number M989/99. Total DNA was isolated from blood using DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit (QIAGEN) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. IFN-λ4 genotype was determined as described previously (Terczynska-Dyla et al, 2014).