[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6994\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EHacking the immune system could cure pollen and house dust mite allergies\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMore than 150 million Europeans suffer from allergies and this number is on the rise due to triggers such as growing pollution. By 2025, an estimated half of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eaaci.org\/documents\/EAACI_Advocacy_Manifesto.pdf\u0022\u003EEU\u2019s population\u003C\/a\u003E could be affected by allergies, according to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAllergies are most commonly treated by taking lifelong medication, such as antihistamines, that relieve symptoms like red eyes and a runny nose. However, about five to 10% of sufferers use another type of treatment called immunotherapy, where the immune system is desensitised to specific allergens, which can eventually cure allergies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe process can be quite cumbersome though. Although drops or tablets can sometimes be administered under the tongue, frequent visits to the doctor for shots are more typical. Patients start with a low dose of the allergen which is gradually increased over several years. \u2018It requires quite a lot from that patient so that\u2019s probably one of the reasons that it isn\u2019t the most popular treatment,\u2019 said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amc.nl\/web\/research-75\/person-1\/prof.-dr.-r.-van-ree.htm\u0022\u003EDr Ronald van Ree\u003C\/a\u003E from Amsterdam University Medical Center in the Netherlands. \u2018If you do injection immunotherapy you have to do it for at least three years.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFurthermore, some patients can have side effects such as skin reactions or may not choose the treatment because of cost since it isn\u2019t covered by public healthcare in all countries.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr van Ree and his colleagues aim to improve immunotherapy as part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/110063\/factsheet\/en\u0022\u003EBM4SIT project\u003C\/a\u003E by focussing on birch pollen allergy,\u0026nbsp;in which a specific pollen protein is the allergen.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of their goals is to reduce secondary effects that can occur during treatment, something they\u2019ve achieved in lab experiments and animal tests. \u2018We have modified this molecule slightly in such a way that it doesn\u0027t give the side effects anymore as easily as the original molecule,\u2019 said Dr van Ree.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team is now testing the tweaked allergen in patients in Denmark.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFaster\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMaking immunotherapy more effective and faster is another project aim. Dr van Ree and his colleagues are looking at adding vitamin D3 to the treatment, which has been shown to have a protective effect against allergies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We hope that the addition of vitamin D3 will change the speed by which the effect is reached so that it will be reached quicker and that we will need less injections,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey are currently conducting a study with patients in Amsterdam to compare the effect of an existing birch pollen treatment when administered alone and when vitamin D3 is injected alongside it. If the trials are successful, they\u2019d like to bring together the vitamin and altered birch pollen molecule to test their combined effect.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe addition of vitamin D3 could also help alleviate the symptoms of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018They could all benefit from this type of adjuvant which sort of dampens inflammation,\u2019 said Dr van Ree.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe innovations should be applicable to a wide range of allergies as well. In terms of modifying the allergen, the team began with birch pollen since a single protein is involved. Cat allergies also involve one molecule. But for grass pollen and house dust mite allergies, for example, several molecules are responsible for the allergy so each one would have to be redesigned.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Immunotherapy is almost never effective for asthmatic symptoms.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003E\u2013\tHenk Vi\u00ebtor, CEO, DC4U Technologies\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf the study goes well, Dr van Ree plans to next focus on treating house dust mite allergy \u2013 the most common allergy globally. This allergy can trigger allergic asthma and is more severe than other forms since it affects the lungs, rather than the eyes, nose or skin. Allergic asthma is also harder to treat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Immunotherapy is almost never effective for asthmatic symptoms,\u2019 said Henk Vi\u00ebtor, the CEO of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.dc4u-technologies.nl\/\u0022\u003EDC4U Technologies\u003C\/a\u003E in Amsterdam.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAsthma\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVi\u00ebtor and his team have developed a technique that could make immunotherapy more effective for asthma. \u2018That\u0027s something completely new to the table,\u2019 said Vi\u00ebtor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe innovation should improve immunotherapy for a wide range of allergies as well, and dramatically decrease the duration of the treatment from about three to five years to three to five months, according to Vi\u00ebtor and his colleagues. \u2018We think that with only two or three shots, just like vaccines for infectious diseases, we can really shorten the experience and make it very effective,\u2019 said Vi\u00ebtor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EExisting immunotherapy uses the raw extract of an allergen dissolved in liquid which is then injected into a patient. But Vi\u00ebtor and his team have been experimenting in the lab by adding sugars to specific parts of allergens used in the treatment which bind to receptors on immune system cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe allergen-sugar combination reeducates the immune system so that an allergen no longer induces an allergic reaction. \u2018We think our technology can really provide a cure for patients with allergies,\u2019 Vi\u00ebtor said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team looked at how to bring their innovation to market as part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/208141\/factsheet\/en\u0022\u003EGAIT project\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey are now investigating potential collaborations, where new projects could focus on treating house dust mite and peanut allergies. \u2018We\u0027re in the negotiation phase at this stage and we are already trying to get more evidence that our technology works,\u2019 said Vi\u00ebtor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe and his colleagues are currently following up with lab experiments on cells and in animals to develop a proof of concept. If they are successful, they will continue with clinical trials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The incidence of allergies is rapidly increasing so I think that innovation in this field is urgently needed to prevent an epidemic in allergies and asthma,\u2019 said Vi\u00ebtor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-5mbqyzddhcxsqtvnn9rivni9rxiwms-2gu1mmc-mbgm\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-5MBqYzdDhCxsQTVnN9riVnI9rxiwms_2gU1mMC-mbgM\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]