mRNA Treatment for Allergic Response

Exclusively Funded by the Food Allergy Fund

Marc E. Rothenberg MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, Bunning Chair of Allergy and Immunology, Director, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Director, Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders Director, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as Principal Investigator

The development of a new approach to vaccination using mRNA-based vaccines has been a transformative world health advancement. It provides a rapidly adaptable platform for targeting emerging pathogens and is extremely powerful in its ability to shape immune memory. Our research is focused on testing the idea that mRNA vaccines offer a breakthrough technology for treating allergies.

In our initial studies, model allergens have been incorporated into mRNA vaccines, starting with the egg protein ovomucoid (OVA) and a specific immunogen from peanuts (Arah2). These vaccines, referred to as allergen-mRNA vaccines, are being examined in pre-clinical models of allergic diseases, including asthma, food allergy, and anaphylaxis. Early studies have demonstrated the powerful ability of allergen-mRNA vaccination to change allergic responses, including lowering allergy-driving antibodies (IgE), shifting allergic adaptive immunity away from a harmful response (e.g., shifting type 2 to type 1 responses), and lowering allergic inflammatory cells, such as eosinophils. At this stage, the experiments are focused on proof-of-concept pre-clinical studies, including experiments designed to deeply investigate how these mechanisms work. Collectively, mRNA vaccines hold great promise for the treatment of allergic diseases, and experiments are underway to make this promise a reality as quickly as possible.