Prospects for peptide-based immunotherapy for dog allergy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Tolerance to ubiquitous environmental substances, allergens, can be accomplished with specific immunotherapy. Conducting therapy with allergen peptides helps to avoid immediate allergic reactions. Dogs are a source of important indoor allergens, which necessitates the development of effective modes of therapy against the allergy they cause. RECENT FINDINGS: The human T-cell epitopes of the major dog allergen Can f 1 were determined recently. They were found to be distributed in seven epitope regions along the molecule. For the peptide immunotherapy of dog allergy, using a pool of seven peptides, one from each of the epitope regions of Can f 1, seems at present to be the best approach. As Can f 1 is not as immunodominant as the main allergens of some other mammals, it remains to be seen whether peptides from other dog allergens should be included in the pool. SUMMARY: The use of a pool of seven peptides from the T-cell epitope regions of Can f 1 is likely to be feasible for treating dog allergy in a great majority of Caucasian populations. In the future, patient-tailored preparations of variants of the T-cell epitope-containing peptides may offer a way to enhance the efficacy of peptide-based immunotherapy.