Allergy Vaccine in the Works

Monday, 16 May 2011 | by Pat's Picks

Fellow allergy sufferers, listen up: The LA Times says a Canadian doctor has come up with a vaccine to allay symptoms caused by ragweed and cat dander allergies. Instead of using traditional immunotherapy, which involves injecting a patient with the very thing they’re allergic to and can take months, the new approach uses only part of the allergen to build up immunity and is effective after four monthly shots.

Apparently, both cat dander and ragweed have just one protein that causes their respective allergic reactions; things like dust mites have dozens. Researchers say if their approach proves to be successful, they next challenge will be mixing up the perfect customized formula for each and every allergy. The vaccine is still in the testing phase, but those who have taken it in trials report that their symptoms were cut in half.