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Vaccine for hay fever suffers

7 October 2006
by Richard Conan-Davies

A cure for hay fever may be just a shot away. This is according to researchers form the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who have developed a DNA based vaccine against a common allergin found in ragweed (plant from the sunflower family (Asteraceae)) The vaccine showed an average 60 percent reduction in allergy symptoms compared to those receiving a placebo. Dr. Peter Creticos of John Hopkins of explained that "It is thought that the vaccine reduces the immune system's over reactions to inhaled allergens by stimulating protective cells that turn off the Th2 helper cells. The TH2 helper cells send out signals for the body to create more IgE, the protein largely responsible for making allergy sufferers miserable throughout the entire ragweed season. The vaccine may activate specialized immune cells known as "dendritic cells" that serve as peacekeepers, maintaining balance by keeping inflammation in check over the long term and breaking an otherwise self-sustaining allergic cycle Creticos calls "Th2 orchestrated allergic inflammation."

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Hay fever
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