Ara h 2 Peptide Epitopes for Peanut Allergy Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current immunotherapy approaches for peanut allergy have limited success, with tolerance often being short-lived and associated with systemic anaphylaxis, highlighting the need for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that target the immunological basis of the condition, particularly the identification and modulation of T cell responses to the major allergen Ara h 2.
Innovation Solution
Development of isolated peptides derived from or homologous to Ara h 2, capable of interacting with T cells and modifying T cell function, which can be used to diagnose and treat aberrant immune responses, including the use of nucleic acid molecules encoding these peptides for therapeutic and prophylactic applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional allergen immunotherapy is used for peanut allergy, then some tolerance may be induced, but systemic anaphylaxis occurs frequently and tolerance is often lost during maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the peanut allergen Ara h 2 into multiple distinct T cell epitope peptides (e.g., peptides comprising amino acid sequences from positions 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, etc. of Ara h 2). By using these segmented peptide components rather than the complete allergen, the therapy can selectively target T cell responses without triggering the broad IgE-mediated anaphylactic reactions associated with whole allergen exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and isolates specific T cell epitope peptides from the complete Ara h 2 allergen structure. These extracted peptides (comprising specific amino acid sequences that are recognized by pathogenic T cells) are then used as therapeutic agents to modulate T cell responses without including the portions of the allergen that trigger harmful IgE-mediated reactions.
2Reliability
If traditional allergen immunotherapy is used for peanut allergy, then some tolerance may be induced, but the tolerance is short-lived and lost during maintenance dosing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by targeting specific T cell epitopes with high precision. The therapeutic peptides are designed to match the exact amino acid sequences recognized by pathogenic T cells (local immunological targets), allowing for focused modulation of the immune response at the specific epitope level rather than broad, non-specific tolerance induction that fades over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs diagnostic methods using the same T cell epitope peptides to monitor immune response and guide therapy. By measuring T cell responses to specific epitopes before and during treatment, the therapy can be adjusted to maintain effective tolerance induction, creating a feedback loop that sustains long-term tolerance.
3Measurement precision
If conventional diagnostic methods are used for peanut allergy, then diagnosis can be made, but they do not accurately identify the immunological basis for developing effective therapy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary identification of the specific T cell epitopes within Ara h 2 that are recognized by pathogenic T cells from allergic individuals. This preliminary characterization of the immunological mechanism (identifying which specific peptide sequences drive the allergic response) is completed before therapy design, enabling development of targeted peptides that address the root cause rather than just symptoms.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates generally to molecules such as peptides, polypeptides and proteins which interact immunologically with T lymphocytes in subjects having peanut allergy, or allergy to other tree nuts, and genetic sequences encoding same. These molecules are preferentially immunointeractive with T cells in subjects having an allergy to the Ara h 2 allergen. The molecules of the present invention are useful in the development of diagnostic, therapeutic and prophylactic agents for conditions characterized by an aberrant, inappropriate or otherwise unwanted immune response to Ara h 2 or derivative or homologue thereof.