A brand new vaccine that successfully treats people with cat allergies has been developed by McMaster University. The vaccine, developed by immunologist Mark Larché and his research team, is not only effective, but has almost no side effects.
Traditionally, cat owners who were allergic to their pets had two options; either undergo frequent allergy shots or get rid of their cat. Larché’s new cat allergy vaccine provides a much better alternative to these unpleasant, traditional options.
The vaccine was developed based on research conducted over the past 10 years in both Canada and Britain by Larché and his research team. Blood samples from 100 volunteers allergic to cats were used to develop the vaccine known as “peptide immunotherapy,” where a low dose of the vaccine is administered into the skin.
“We picked the peptides that would work in as much of the population as possible,” Larché explained.
Optimal dosage will be determined through clinical trials currently underway in a much larger group of allergy sufferers. The cat allergy vaccine is the first in a line of vaccines to be developed by Adiga Life Sciences, a company established by McMaster in 2008.
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