CAT ALLERGY VACCINE ‘COMING SOON’

If you like cats but have a troublesome cat allergy, you might be in luck. Researchers at Hypocat in Switzerland are close to developing a vaccine that can cure cat allergies.

Previously known as HypoPet AG, Saiba Animal Health recently released encouraging findings from a study on persons who have cat allergies.

The study, which was released in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, provides a thorough explanation of how the HypoCat cat allergy vaccination may help us completely eradicate feline sensitivities.

The outcomes are actually fairly unique.

The trial, which is sometimes referred to as immunotherapy, did not attempt to desensitise the immune systems of those with cat allergies, unlike most vaccines.

Instead, the scientists developed a cat allergy vaccination that is administered to cats! Yes, HypoPet developed a unique method to cure human cat allergies by immunising cats against Fel d 1, the most prevalent allergen in cats.

Most frequently, cats’ saliva and sebaceous glands contain this allergen. Its physiological role is yet unknown to experts.

Following are a few key points from the HypoPet study:

The study team stimulated the cats’ immune systems by combining the Fel d 1 molecule with a cucumber mosaic virus.

The studied cats were less likely to infect people than typical cats because after receiving the vaccination, their immune systems naturally eliminated the molecules.

The immunisation appeared to be safe and was well-tolerated.

HypoPet successfully evaluated the vaccine on 54 different cats over the course of four investigations. By the end of the study, the researchers discovered that lowering the most prevalent cat allergen, Fel d 1, was a successful strategy for raising antibodies in cats against human cat allergies.

An effective cat vaccine would be advantageous to both humans and cats.

A quarter of all houses in the US own cats, and roughly 10% of people have cat allergies, reported Health News. Additionally, children who develop cat sensitivity are more prone to develop asthma.

“Both human subjects and animals could profit from this treatment because allergic cat owners would reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases, such as asthma, and become more tolerant of their cats, which therefore could stay in the households and not need to be relinquished to animal shelters,” a HypoPet researcher was quoted as saying by Health News.

As of now, there is no cure for cat allergies. In many cases, the only effective treatment for cat allergy symptoms is to completely avoid cats. This is particularly difficult for cat lovers who have lost their feline companions owing to severe allergies. The third most frequent reason why cat owners give up their pets is allergic responses to cats.

The hypocat vaccination should soon be available on the market, according to Dr Gary Jennings, CEO of Saiba Animal Health. As stated in a statement by Dr Jennings: “We are thrilled to announce this news. These antibodies have the ability to bind to and neutralise the Fel d 1 allergen that animals produce. In the milestone-driven development of HypoCatTM, this work was a crucial step.”

By 2024, the HypoCat vaccination could be made available in the US.