Vaccine brings two years of relief for cat allergy sufferers

Researchers at Canada's McMaster University have been working for more than 10 years on a vaccine to protect against cat allergy symptoms. The second phase of the clinical trials found that four doses of the vaccine protect allergy sufferers for up to two years. This treatment provides hope for the 8-10 percent of the population that is allergic to cats.

The results of the first study led by Mark Larche, a professor of medicine at McMaster University's medical school, were published in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology in January 2011. For the second phase of the trial, 202 patients were administered either the treatment or a placebo over a course of 12 weeks. Fifty of the study's original patients returned for a four-day study 24 months after their treatment. Those who received four doses of the vaccine still had significantly reduced symptoms when exposed to cat allergens for four days.

The vaccine was developed by extracting a protein that cats secrete naturally in their fur. The molecule was deconstructed to identify the short regions that cause T-cell activation in those with allergies. The researchers then made synthetic versions of these regions. Seven peptides were identified that are mixed together to create the vaccine. These peptides were chosen to work for "as much of the population as possible."

The vaccine is said to have "almost no side effects." The clinical trials are now in their third phase. Researchers believe it could be available in as little as two years if the clinical trials continue to be successful.

This treatment, if successful, will provide a significant improvement over the current treatment options available for cat allergy sufferers. A vaccine that gets rid of allergy symptoms for two years – who wouldn't want that kind of relief? My hope is that many of these allergy sufferers, if their symptoms are successfully reduced, will be able to provide homes to some of the millions of cats that enter shelters every year.

Do you suffer from cat allergy symptoms? If so, do you own a cat, or would you consider getting one if your symptoms could be repressed?

Photo courtesy of Moyan Brenn via Flickr.