Birch Pollen Allergy Peptide Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for birch pollen allergy, such as specific immunotherapy (SIT), are lengthy and often accompanied by side effects, necessitating a shorter, safer alternative that effectively reduces allergic symptoms.
Innovation Solution
The use of contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs) derived from the Bet v 1 birch pollen major allergen, which provide all potential T cell epitopes while minimizing IgE binding, administered through various routes over a shorter period, potentially inducing increased IgG4 and IL-10 levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specific immunotherapy (SIT) is used to treat birch pollen allergy, then allergic symptoms are reduced, but treatment duration is lengthy (3-5 years) and side effects occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the Bet v 1 allergen into multiple contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs), each containing specific T-cell epitopes. This segmentation allows the immune system to be trained on individual peptide fragments rather than the complete allergen, enabling shorter treatment duration while maintaining efficacy in reducing allergic symptoms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary T-cell epitope regions from the full Bet v 1 sequence, creating minimal peptide fragments that are sufficient for inducing tolerance. By taking out only the essential immunogenic elements and excluding non-essential regions, the treatment becomes shorter and safer while still achieving allergic symptom reduction.
2Reliability
If specific immunotherapy (SIT) is used to treat birch pollen allergy, then allergic symptoms are reduced, but side effects occur in up to 30% of patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating peptides with specific sequences that are optimized for inducing protective IgG4 responses while avoiding regions that trigger IgE-mediated side effects. Each peptide fragment is designed with specific amino acid compositions that favor tolerogenic immune responses over allergic reactions, thereby reducing side effects while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the molecular parameters of the allergen by creating peptide fragments with specific lengths, sequences, and structures that alter the immune response profile. By modifying the peptide parameters (comparing to full allergen), the treatment induces protective immunity without triggering the harmful side effects associated with conventional SIT.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If peptides encompassing restricted number of T-cell epitopes are used, then IgE binding is reduced, but efficacy is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple peptide fragments into a comprehensive formulation that collectively covers the entire Bet v 1 sequence. By combining several overlapping peptides, the treatment achieves both low IgE binding (through fragment-based approach) and high efficacy (through complete epitope coverage), resolving the contradiction between safety and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal peptide formulation that serves multiple functions: it provides complete T-cell epitope coverage for efficacy, maintains low IgE binding for safety, and induces protective IgG4 responses. The multi-functional design allows the peptide preparation to simultaneously achieve reduced IgE binding and maintained therapeutic efficacy.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 1D
Figure 2A~2
AI summary
Contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs) for the treatment of allergic patients by Specific Immunotherapy (SIT) are provided from the sequence of the major allergen of birch pollen Bet v 1. Such peptides while providing all potential T cell epitopes are devoid of the 3D structure of the original allergen, therefore reducing their ability to bind IgE.