News & Events
A prototype of a new vaccine against allergies from cats
- August 21, 2019
- Posted by: Wiley M. Wagner
- Category: Science
In this photo taken on December 14, 2016, male British Shorthair cat "Tsim Tung Cream Brother", or "Cream Brother" for short, cleans himself at his owner's flat in Hong Kong. The British Shorthair has nearly 200,000 followers on Facebook and draws masses of fans, including when his shop closed in 2016. / AFP / Anthony WALLACE (Photo credit should read ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP / Getty Images)
Despite the fact that not all people show the same degree of tolerance to various types of allergies caused by animals, the problem of a gradually developing allergy when living with a pet is really acute. That is why today a talented team of microbiologists from the Swiss scientific company Hypocat presented to the general public its prototype of the allergy vaccine for cats, because cats are one of the most common sources of allergies. However, the unusualness of the new vaccine lies not only in its chemical composition and properties, but also in the fact that it is done to the cat, and not to the person.
The new vaccine is based on the use of a special virus-type bacterium made from a mosaic virus with a T-cell content of no less special type – we are talking about the tt830-843 epitope cell. Being essentially a prototype of a cellular recombinant – that is, a decomposed and reassembled molecule – it directly affects an allergen called Fel d 1, which is the main culprit of the sources of allergies in humans with respect to some cats. Thus, when the vaccine is administered to a cat, the animal begins to develop an immune response, which is expressed in the suppression of the production of this allergen, which contributes to the absence of allergies on the part of man.
Preliminary results have already shown enviable results regarding the effectiveness of this vaccine, not to mention the fact that its potential for subsequent modifications and improvements really has a large indicator – which is taken into account by scientists.
Be that as it may, the current version of the anti-allergenic vaccine for cats is experimental in one way or another – therefore, it is still too early to talk about its widespread development and distribution. It remains only to wait for the second stage of the investigation and experiments, during which experts are likely to find new ways by which not only can increase the overall effectiveness of the vaccine, but also make it cheaper for subsequent applications.