Hope for millions as scientists create groundbreaking cat allergy vaccine
SCIENTISTS are testing a groundbreaking vaccine for cat allergies.
ANG-101 will be given to patients at Royal Brompton Hospital in London in clinical trials.
The jab would be the first in the world to provoke an immune response in adults who are allergic to cats, French–Canadian pharmaceutical company Angany said.
Dr Louis-Philippe Vezina, of Angany, said: “We are very pleased that our new and promising approach to cat allergy immunotherapy is now being tested in patients.
“We have named this clinical study ‘HOPE’ as this important milestone in Angany’s vaccine development program should raise new hope for millions of people affected by allergy worldwide.
“ANG-101 is a first from a vaccine portfolio in development that aims to cover major allergies in humans and companion animals.”
Cat allergies are the most common animal allergy and affect around one in five adults, according to Allergy UK.
They can cause sneezing, an itchy, runny or blocked nose, itchy or red eyes, coughing and wheezing.
There are currently no cure to the allergy, although over-the-counter medicines can be used to relieve symptoms.
Fel d 1, a protein produced by cats’ mouths and skin, causes the reaction in people who are allergic.
Not all cats produce as much of the allergen but no cats are hypoallergenic.
ANG-101 works by mimicking the shape of Fel d 1 to alter the body’s immune response to it.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the current human trial.
Previous animal tests showed the vaccine caused “a very strong production of antibodies capable of blocking the allergic reaction”, according to Angany co-founder Loic Faye.
Professor Stephen Durham, of Imperial College London, who is running the trial, said he hopes the jab could be better than current treatments.
He said: “The ultimate goal in cat allergy is to find a safe, effective and easy to administer vaccine that will not require the long treatment and often suboptimal response currently featured by classical desensitisation method.”