Three doses of the vaccine can help protect against birch pollen allergy
Photo: Ivan PROKHOROV
The covid pandemic “gave” scientists around the world not only a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the birth and rapid spread of a new virus, but also to learn how to quickly develop means of combating it. The pandemic broke out at the beginning of 2020, already in July a Chinese vaccine was developed, and in August our Sputnik V.
In parallel, in-depth studies were carried out on the nature of the virus, the methods of dealing with it. In particular, the Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency developed the drug MIR 19 based on small interfering RNAs that blocked certain genes of the coronavirus and prevented it from spreading in the body. Clinical trials have also shown that the drug significantly reduces lung damage.
“At the moment, the drug has been registered and is already being used in medical institutions,” Igor Shilovsky, deputy head of science and innovation at the State Research Center “Institute of Immunology” of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, immunologist Igor Shilovsky , he told KP.RU.
And now, based on this development, FMBA scientists are testing a new drug for the RS virus (one of the main culprits in the seasonal rise of SARS, as a rule, it ranks first or second among all viruses in circulation. ). Drugs for asthma and rhinitis are also being developed.
And bright times await us – allergy sufferers will soon get relief! At least from the most malicious allergen – birch pollen:
“Now we are developing hypoallergenic vaccines, new generation vaccines that can be used not only for therapy, but also for the prevention of allergies,” said Igor Shilovsky. – Classical allergy vaccines are based on allergen extracts, that is, they contain an active element. This treatment is called ASIT (Allergen Specific Immunotherapy), when small doses of the allergen are administered, thus accustoming the body to developing tolerance or insensitivity to allergens, for example, before the birch blooming season. As a rule, 20 to 30 doses are required to achieve a good result.
The use of such vaccines for prevention is prohibited, and they should not be given to volunteers, because they can actually develop allergies. Hypoallergenic vaccines contain an artificial allergen – the risk of causing a real allergy is reduced to zero, but at the same time, the composition of the gene allows you to save therapeutic potential. Therefore, such vaccines can be used not only for therapy, but also for prevention. We have created a platform for the development and study of next-generation vaccines together with Professor Rudolf Valente from the Medical University of Vienna.
The first vaccine was created against allergy to birch pollen – this is the most common allergen in our country. In addition, the structure of this allergen is very similar to that of other allergens: apple, peach, soybean and peanut. If a person is allergic to birch, it is highly likely that a cross allergy to apples and peaches will develop. We eliminate the toxic properties of birch allergen by obtaining a hypoallergenic vaccine against birch pollen allergy. The vaccine has already been tested for safety and efficacy, that is, it really protects against allergies and does not cause negative reactions. Our studies have shown that 3-5 doses of birch pollen allergy vaccine are enough to develop a stable body reaction to the allergen.
