Authors:
Dr. Fanny Beilvert, Mr. Adrien Tissot, Miss Marie Langelot, Mr. Mathieu Mevel, Mr. Benoit Chatin, Mr. David Lair, Prof. Antoine Magnan, and Mr. Bruno Pitard
Summary:
Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory, respiratory disease caused by an abnormal reactivity against allergens. The most promising treatments for asthma are based on specific immunotherapies, but they lack efficiency and can induce deleterious side effects. Among new modalities of immunotherapy currently in development, DNA vaccination presents a promising approach, as it enables targeted immunotherapy in association with reduced allergenicity. We have developed an innovative, DNA-based vaccine against Dermatophagoides farinae 1 allergen, one of the most-commonly encountered allergens in asthma patients in Europe. Intramuscular administration of a Derf1-encoding plasmid formulated with the block copolymer 704 in healthy mice induced a strong humoral and cellular response with a pro-Th1 bias. Administration of the same formulation in asthmatic mice, following an early vaccination protocol, led to a reduction of airway hyperresponsiveness and a significant decrease in the level of inflammatory cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage of Derf1-vaccinated mice.
Source:
Human Gene Therapy; (03/19/12)