Efficacy of 2 months of allergen-specific immunotherapy with Bet v 1-derived contiguous overlapping peptides in patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis: Results of a phase IIb study.

Background: An immunotherapy formulation consisting of 3 contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs) derived from Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, showed good clinical tolerability in a previous phase I/IIa clinical trial.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of allergen-specific immunotherapy using 2 dose regimens of Bet v 1 COPs versus placebo in subjects with birch pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIb clinical trial was performed to assess the efficacy of Bet v 1 COP immunotherapy during the 2013 birch pollen season.

Novel birch pollen specific immunotherapy formulation based on contiguous overlapping peptides.

Background: Synthetic contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs) may represent an alternative to allergen extracts or recombinant allergens for allergen specific immunotherapy. In combination, COPs encompass the entire allergen sequence, providing all potential T cell epitopes, while preventing IgE conformational epitopes of the native allergen.

Methods: Individual COPs were derived from the sequence of Bet v 1, the major allergen of birch pollen, and its known crystal structure, and designed to avoid IgE binding.

Randomized double-blind controlled Phase I/IIa trial to assess the efficacy of malaria vaccine PfCS102 to protect against challenge with P. falciparum.

The aim of this Phase I/IIa double-blind controlled trial was to test the efficacy of the sporozoite-based malaria vaccine PfCS 282-383 (PfCS102) to protect against Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia. 16 volunteers were randomized to receive twice 30 μg of PfCS102 formulated in Montanide ISA 720 or ISA 720 alone (control). Two weeks after 2nd immunization, volunteers were challenged using 5 infected mosquitoes.

The synthetic Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite peptide PfCS102 as a malaria vaccine candidate: a randomized controlled phase I trial.

Background: Fully efficient vaccines against malaria pre-erythrocytic stage are still lacking. The objective of this dose/adjuvant-finding study was to evaluate the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a vaccine candidate based on a peptide spanning the C-terminal region of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCS102) in malaria naive adults.

Methodology And Principal Findings: Thirty-six healthy malaria-naive adults were randomly distributed into three dose blocks (10, 30 and 100 microg) and vaccinated with PfCS102 in combination with either Montanide ISA 720 or GSK proprietary Adjuvant System AS02A at days 0, 60, and 180.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy of allergy and asthma: current and future trends.

Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only immunomodulatory and etiological therapy of allergy and asthma. Conventional specific immunotherapy (SIT) with whole-allergen extract is antigen specific, effective on multiple organs, efficient on asthma in defined conditions, provides long-lasting protection and is cost effective. Moreover, SIT is able to prevent the course of rhinitis to asthma.

Biodegradable microspheres alone do not stimulate murine macrophages in vitro, but prolong antigen presentation by macrophages in vitro and stimulate a solid immune response in mice.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential of various types of biodegradable microspheres (MS) (i) to activate in vitro cell line-derived macrophages (RAW 264.7, Mphi), and primary peritoneal and bone marrow-derived mouse Mphi, to prolong the release and presentation of microencapsulated synthetic malaria antigens by Mphi after uptake of antigen-loaded MS, and (ii) to stimulate an immune response in mice against a microencapsulated synthetic malaria antigen. The MS were made of various types of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) or chitosan cross-linked with tripolyphosphate.