# SUGAR-COATING HYPOALLERGENS - A NOVEL APPROACH FOR SHELLFISH ALLLERGY IMMUNOTHERAPY

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $75,404

## Abstract

SUGAR-COATING HYPOALLERGENS – A NOVEL APPROACH FOR SHELLFISH ALLERGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
 In the United States, shellfish is the third leading cause of food-induced anaphylaxis (16.1% of the 218
cases of food-induced allergy). Although shellfish avoidance and epinephrine administration are currently the
first line of treatment in patients with anaphylactic responses to shellfish exposure, emerging strategies such as
biomaterials-based allergen-specific immunotherapy hold tremendous promise for alleviating allergic responses.
Biomaterial systems can precisely condition dendritic cells (DCs) in vivo. Dendritic cells represent a major group
of professional APCs, which possess the capacity to polarize and re-program CD4+ T cells. In addition, it has
been shown that tolerogenic DCs (tDCs) are, in turn, capable of inducing functional regulatory T cells and shift
the immunological balance towards a non-allergic phenotype. For millennia, microorganisms have utilized
immuno-modulatory biomaterials to co-exist in acerbic climates, including the mammalian gut. Taking our cue
from nature, we to isolate and exploit the unique tolerogenic properties of polysaccharide A – a molecule found
in the cell wall of gut-residing bacteria that control DC polarity and ensuing immunological reactions to these
commensal bacteria. Moreover, we believe that that encapsulation of hypoallergens by PSA microparticles (MPs)
will reduce the allergenicity. The long-term goal of this program is to develop a modular, anti-allergy system for
food allergy therapy. The overall objective of this R03 proposal is to engineer a PSA-based microparticle system,
encapsulating hypoallergens, and ascertain it capacity to mitigate allergen-specific reactions in hypersensitized
mice. The central hypothesis is that is that the rational design a dendritic-cell targeting, bacteria-derived,
polysaccharide microparticle system will drive tolerization of shellfish hypoallergens (MEM49 and MED171) via
induced IL-10–producing regulatory T cells, and, thereby promote attenuation of shellfish allergy. This hypothesis
will be tested by pursuing three specific aims: 1) Build a PSA-based microparticle system that incorporates
shellfish hypoallergens; 2) Investigate DC and T cell responses to PSA MPs in vitro; and 3) Evaluate the
therapeutic efficacy of PSA MPs in a mouse model of antigen-driven, shellfish allergy. This approach is
innovative because it departs from the status quo by generating specific tolerance-inducing cellular mediators in
vivo with simple administration of hypoallergen-loaded, PSA-based MPs. Moreover, it incorporates both novel
immunomodulatory biomaterials and engineered allergens to generate a system that is efficacious, safe and
clinically translatable. Ultimately, the research and development of this system has the potential to significantly
stem the growing epidemic of food allergy in the US.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9822150
- **Project number:** 5R03AI138191-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Jamal S Lewis
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $75,404
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-11-13 → 2020-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9822150

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9822150, SUGAR-COATING HYPOALLERGENS - A NOVEL APPROACH FOR SHELLFISH ALLLERGY IMMUNOTHERAPY (5R03AI138191-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9822150. Licensed CC0.

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