French-Canadian pharmaceutical company, Angani, announced on Monday that it has started clinical trials on humans for a revolutionary vaccine aimed at treating allergies to cat dander. The vaccine, named “Ang-101,” is designed to mimic the shape and size of the virus and its surface is covered with thousands of copies of Fel D1, the protein responsible for cat allergies, reported Al-Jarida Daily.
The clinical trials will be carried out at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London and will involve a group of patients suffering from cat allergies. Angani’s co-founder, Louik Fay, has stated that previous animal trials of the vaccine led to the production of antibodies that could prevent allergic reactions in a very effective way.
Currently, the most common treatment for cat allergies is desensitization therapy, which involves injecting increasing doses of allergen extracts. This is a lengthy process, and not always effective. On the other hand, antihistamines are used to relieve allergy symptoms but do not provide a long-term cure. According to Angani’s President and CEO, Louis Philippe Vezina, Ang-101 is the first vaccine in a group of vaccines being prepared by the company to treat common allergies in humans and pets.
Anghani Genetics was established in France in 2010 before moving under Canadian ownership in 2017. The company is expected to submit the results of the clinical trial to regulatory authorities for approval as soon as the trials are complete, paving the way for the rollout of the revolutionary vaccine.
