Flagellin Epitope Immunotherapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tolerance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are symptomatic and do not provide a cure, as they fail to address the underlying abnormal immune response to microbiota antigens, particularly flagellins from the Lachnospiraceae family, which drive chronic inflammation.

Innovation Solution

Administering a polypeptide comprising flagellin T-cell receptor (TCR) epitopes in combination with metabolic inhibitors such as rapamycin to reduce flagellin antigen-specific memory T cells and increase regulatory T cells, thereby modulating the immune response and preventing inflammation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If current symptomatic treatments are used for inflammatory bowel disease, then immediate symptom relief is achieved, but the underlying abnormal immune response to flagellin antigens persists and causes chronic inflammation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecurative effectVSAvoidtreatment complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by administering flagellin peptides before the development of abnormal immune responses or at the early stages of disease. This preventive approach aims to establish tolerance to flagellin antigens before they can trigger chronic inflammation, thereby addressing the root cause rather than just symptoms. The treatment is given proactively to prevent the formation of pathogenic immune memory cells.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and targets the specific problematic component - the abnormal immune response to flagellin antigens - from the complex immune system. By identifying flagellin as the specific antigen driving the pathological response, the treatment selectively addresses this particular immune pathway without needing to modulate the entire immune system, thus providing a focused curative approach.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If flagellin antigen-specific memory T cells are reduced to prevent relapses, then long-term disease prevention is improved, but the immune system's ability to respond to actual infections may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisease preventionVSAvoidimmune response capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively targeting only the flagellin-specific pathogenic T cell population for reduction, while leaving other immune cells and functions intact. This selective approach uses flagellin peptides to specifically modulate the immune response against flagellin antigens without broadly suppressing the entire immune system, thereby maintaining the ability to respond to other infections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful persistent immune memory against flagellin into a beneficial state by using flagellin peptides to actively induce tolerance. Rather than simply suppressing the immune response, the treatment harnesses the immune system's own mechanisms to reprogram the response from pathogenic to protective, transforming the problem of immune memory into a solution for long-term prevention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS12350317B2Immunotherapy for the treatment and prevention of inflammatory bowel disease

Publication Date: 2025.07.08 THE UAB RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC

AI summary

Provided herein are methods and compositions for treating and preventing inflammatory bowel disease.