The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an enveloped, spherical virus with a single stranded genome of approximately 10 kb. In infected host cells (hepatocytes), viral DNA is reverse transcribed and new virions are assembled in the endoplasmic reticulum. The virus is transmitted through sexual and blood contact, causing the hepatitis C disease, liver cirrhosis, and cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma. According to WHO, an estimated 71 million people are infected, and 399,000 people die each year from HCV.