EpiVax Demonstrates Antigen-Specific Tolerance Induction in Allergy with Tregitopes, Results Published in Frontiers in Immunology
PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EpiVax, Inc. ("EpiVax") announces the publication "Tregitopes Improve Asthma by Promoting Highly Suppressive and Antigen-Specific Tregs" in Frontiers in Immunology. This research highlights Tregitopes as a promising therapy for allergy. Administration of IgG-derived Tregitopes were found to induce suppressive antigen-specific T-regulatory cells in ovalbumin (OVA) and ragweed-allergic murine mouse models, attenuating allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and lung inflammation.
Tregitopes are peptides found in human immunoglobulin which were first discovered in 2008 by Dr. Anne De Groot and William Martin. EpiVax has since validated many more Tregitopes and has developed a strong Tregitope patent estate. With a wide range of therapeutic applications, Tregitopes can be co-formulated or fused to proteins to induce antigen-specific tolerance. EpiVax is currently licensing Tregitope with commercial and academic partners. More information on the EpiVax Tregitope Platform is available here.
Tregitopes are capable of engaging regulatory T cells and downregulating inflammation in a wide range of disease models. This mechanism of action has been used by others seeking to harness the value of Tregitopes, including Marieme Dembele, Dr. Bruce Mazer and Amir Massoud of McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Dembele and team previously demonstrated antigen specific tolerance induction by Tregitopes in allergic airways disease. Tregitope-driven antigen-specific down-regulation has been documented in other disease models, including Type I diabetes, cockroach induced-allergy, experimental colitis, and pregnancy loss. EpiVax is encouraged by these findings and looks forward to a continued bright future for the Tregitope program.
On the potential for future therapies, Dr. Bruce Mazer, Senior Scientist at The Research Institute of The McGill University Health Centre said, "Tregitope-based therapy may lead to improved treatments for allergy and other inflammatory conditions. IgG Tregitope-based treatment could become a synthetic alternative to IVIg, with more specificity and likely less side effects unlike steroid-based immunosuppressant treatments for allergic asthma."
About EpiVax:
EpiVax is a biotechnology company with expertise in T cell epitope prediction, immune modulation, and rapid vaccine design. EpiVax's immunogenicity screening toolkits for therapeutics and vaccines, ISPRI and iVAX, are employed in advancing the research of a global roster of companies.
For more information about EpiVax, visit www.epivax.com.
For more information on Tregitope and licensing opportunities please contact us here.
For a free online version of this published research visit Frontiers in Immunology here.
Press Contact:
Katie Porter, Business Development Manager
EpiVax
kporter@epivax.com
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