IF THE mere presence of a cat makes you start wheezing, there may be hope at hand. An experimental allergy remedy might teach the immune system not to overreact.
The cat protein Fel d 1 is what triggers rashes and wheezing in allergy sufferers. While some companies are trying to genetically engineer cats to eliminate the protein, Andrew Saxon鈥檚 team at the University of California at Los Angeles may have come up with a less drastic solution. By fusing the feline protein with a human one known to suppress allergic reactions, he has managed to stifle cat allergy in mice.
The feline part of the 鈥渃himeric鈥� protein binds to the specific immune cells that generate the allergic reaction to Fel d 1. 鈥淲e attached to the cat part a human part which says 鈥榮top鈥� to the cells,鈥� Saxon says. He likens the cat protein to a 鈥済as pedal鈥� that triggers the release of inflammatory chemicals, and the human half to a brake. Although both parts bind to the cell, the 鈥渂rake鈥� signal dominates (Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/nm1219).
Advertisement
If the trick works in humans too, the chimeric protein might provide a safe way of gradually retraining the immune system to tolerate Fel d 1. Saxon hopes to test it in clinical trials.
If it works, the same principle could be applied to food allergies. Saxon鈥檚 team is working on the main peanut allergen.
