 Hepatitis C Virus is the most common blood-borne infection in the U.S., affecting at least 4 million individuals, with more than 19,000 new cases occurring each year. Further, the CDC has projected a fourfold increase in the number of chronic hepatitis C patients between 1990 and 2015, and these patients are at risk for developing end stage liver disease ESLD. By 2015 an estimated 375,000 chronic hepatitis C patients will develop cirrhosis and progress to ESLD, representing the majority of individuals who need liver transplants. ESLD is a life-limiting illness, and patients are told that, without a liver transplant, they may die. 