Sialylated Fetuin-A Biomarker Predicts Immunotherapy Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current immunotherapy treatments for allergies lack effective methods to predict patient responsiveness, leading to variable symptom relief and treatment efficacy.
Innovation Solution
The use of Fetuin-A polypeptides or fragments with specific post-translational modifications, particularly those with O-linked oligosaccharide chains bearing terminal sialic acid residues at positions 256 and 270, as biomarkers to predict responsiveness to immunotherapy by detecting their levels in biological samples before or during treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional allergy management methods (anti-histamines, symptom relief medications) are used, then symptom alleviation is achieved, but the underlying allergic condition is not modified and treatment efficacy varies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by measuring sialylated Fetuin-A levels before initiating immunotherapy to predict patient responsiveness in advance. This pre-treatment biomarker assessment allows clinicians to identify suitable candidates for immunotherapy before treatment begins, avoiding ineffective treatments and enabling better treatment selection without adding complexity to the treatment process itself
2Reliability
If allergen avoidance strategies are implemented, then symptom manifestation is prevented, but pervasive allergens such as pollen cannot be avoided and treatment remains difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by using sialylation level modifications of Fetuin-A as a predictive parameter to identify patients who will respond to immunotherapy. By measuring the degree of sialylation (a chemical modification parameter) on Fetuin-A, the method transforms the approach from attempting to control environmental allergen exposure to identifying patients whose biological parameters indicate they will benefit from immunotherapy, making treatment more feasible for pervasive allergens
3Reliability
If specific allergy vaccination (immunotherapy) is administered, then immune status is altered and symptom manifestation is prevented, but not all patients experience symptom reduction and responsiveness varies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex clinical assessment methods with a biochemical marker system. Instead of relying on multiple clinical tests, patient histories, and subjective evaluations to predict immunotherapy responsiveness, the method substitutes these with a specific biochemical measurement of sialylated Fetuin-A levels, simplifying the patient selection process while improving predictive reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sialylated Fetuin-A as an intermediary biomarker that mediates between the patient's immune status and the predicted response to immunotherapy. This intermediary marker provides an objective measure of immune system characteristics that correlate with treatment responsiveness, bridging the gap between complex immune system states and predictable treatment outcomes
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns the identification of specific polypeptides, fragments variants thereof which can be used as markers for the efficacy of immunotherapy, particular for predicting responsiveness of a patient to immunotherapy.