Partially Hydrolysed Whey Peptides Inducing Oral Immune Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hypoallergenic compositions for infants at risk of cow's milk protein allergy often rely on avoiding allergens or using special ingredients like growth factors or synthetic peptides, which may not induce oral immune tolerance effectively across a wide population.
Innovation Solution
A specific partially hydrolysed whey-based infant formula containing exact beta-lactoglobulin peptides, identified through LC-MS and ProImmune ProPresent antigen presentation assays, that function as T-cell epitopes to induce oral tolerance, combined with a lactic acid-producing bacterium and non-digestible oligosaccharides to enhance immune tolerance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If extensively hydrolysed proteins or free amino acids are used to eliminate allergens, then allergenicity is reduced, but oral immune tolerance induction is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using partially hydrolysed proteins that retain specific local peptide sequences (epitopes) within the overall protein structure. These specific peptide regions maintain immunogenicity while the rest of the protein is sufficiently hydrolysed to reduce allergenicity, creating a composition with differentiated functional properties at different molecular levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the hydrolysis parameter from extensive (near-complete breakdown) to partial (controlled degradation), maintaining a balance where proteins are sufficiently broken down to reduce allergenicity but retain enough structural integrity to preserve epitopes necessary for oral immune tolerance induction. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between allergen elimination and tolerance induction.
2Reliability
If partially hydrolysed proteins are used to induce oral immune tolerance, then tolerance induction is improved, but allergenicity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The composition contains partially hydrolysed proteins with specific local peptide sequences (epitopes) that are preserved to induce oral immune tolerance, while the overall protein structure is sufficiently degraded to reduce allergenicity. This local preservation of functional epitopes within a partially hydrolysed matrix resolves the contradiction between maintaining immunogenicity and reducing allergenicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing controlled partial hydrolysis rather than complete hydrolysis. This partial degradation is sufficient to reduce allergenicity but insufficient to completely destroy the epitopes needed for oral immune tolerance induction, thereby resolving the contradiction through optimized partial processing.
3Reliability
If synthetic peptides or growth factors are added to induce tolerance, then tolerance induction is improved, but composition complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and utilizes the naturally occurring epitopic peptides that are already present within the partially hydrolysed protein structure. Rather than adding synthetic peptides or growth factors, the composition leverages the inherent immunogenic components generated during controlled hydrolysis, thereby avoiding increased composition complexity while maintaining tolerance induction efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The partially hydrolysed proteins themselves provide the necessary epitopes for oral immune tolerance induction without requiring additional synthetic additives. The hydrolysis process naturally generates the functional peptide sequences needed, making the composition self-sufficient and avoiding the complexity of adding external components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The formula effectively induces oral immune tolerance and reduces the risk of allergic reactions by presenting specific peptides to T-cells, covering a wide range of HLA-DRB1 alleles and enhancing T-cell proliferation, thereby improving tolerance to cow's milk protein.
Implementation Method 1
a lactic acid-producing bacterium
Implementation Method 2
A specific partially hydrolysed whey-based infant formula containing exact beta-lactoglobulin peptides
Data Source
AI summary
A formula comprising a whey protein hydrolysate comprising specific beta-lactoglobulin derived peptides and probiotics for inducing oral immune tolerance against milk protein, preventing or treating of oral immune intolerance against milk protein, and/or reducing the risk of developing oral immune intolerance against milk protein.