The prevalence of allergic diseases global and growing. Recent trends indicate that half of all Europeans will suffer from allergy by 2015. Today, allergy treatment, which only suppresses the symptoms or lessens the inflammation, is via drugs, anti-histamines or steroids. And that market is big business. The anti-allergy drug market is anticipated to exceed $14.7 billion by 2015 in the US alone. Worldwide allergy vaccine sales were $642 million in 2010.
To keep it simple, an allergy works like this: An allergen molecule reacts with an immunoglobulin E (IgE) which is an antibody in our body that plays a starring role in allergies, i.e., having them or not having them. That molecule triggers a cellular process known as degranulation which encourages histamine to be released from your white blood cells, known as mast cells. Histamine, which is an inflammatory response, causes allergic symptoms like hay fever, watery eyes, scratchy throat, runny nose. Just suppressing allergic symptoms doesn't get to the root of the problem.
Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland led by Professor Juhu Rouvinen, in cooperation with Professors Kristiina Takkinen and Hans Söderlun from VTT, a technical research center in Finland, discovered unique IgE‐binding structures in allergens. They say these structures can be genetically modified so they do not bind IgE anymore, but they can still induce the production of the immunoglobulin G (IgG). IgG protects you from allergic symptoms by actually prohibiting the formation of IgE-allergen complexes and could, in theory, prevent the degranulation and histamine release from white blood cells. The modified allergens are produced using modern molecular biology and biotechnology.
Patients will hypothetically develop a natural immunity against each allergy they have been vaccinated for in the same manner immunity is created against infectious diseases with vaccinations.
Histamines are not the solution because they only inhibit or lesson the allergy so you still have the allergy," said Rouvinen. "We believe that curing allergies is about changing or modifying the genetic structure of the allergen molecules inside of your body, so we want to eliminate the cause of the allergy, instead of removing symptoms."
Much like Louis Pasteur, through experiments, human error and learning as you go, discovered a vaccine that saved millions, Rouvinen and his team say they discovered this vaccine through brilliant science and hard work. In other words, they aren't sure, but just like all good scientists committed to finding a cure for a disease, they found a way.
The team, through the formation of a new bio-tech company called Desentum, hope to have the vaccine on the market within five to seven years.
