Glycopolymer-conjugated antigens as an inverse vaccine platform prevent anaphylaxis in a pre-clinical model of food allergy

The only FDA-approved oral immunotherapy for a food allergy provides protection against accidental exposure to peanuts. However, this therapy often causes discomfort or side effects and requires long-term commitment. Better preventive and therapeutic solutions are urgently needed. We have developed an inverse vaccine technology that utilizes glycopolymer-conjugated antigens to induce antigen-specific non-responsiveness. The glycopolymer conjugates were administered intravenously (i.v.) or subcutaneously (s.c.) and were found to traffic to the liver or lymph nodes, respectively, leading to preferential internalization by antigen-presenting cells, educating the immune system to respond in an innocuous way. In a mouse model of cow's milk allergy, treatment with glycopolymer-conjugated β-lactoglobulin (BLG) was effective in preventing the onset of allergy. In addition, s.c. administration of glycopolymer-conjugated BLG showed superior safety and potential in treating existing allergies in combination with an anti-CD20 co-therapy. This platform may provide an antigen-specific immunomodulatory strategy to prevent and treat food allergies. ### Competing Interest Statement DSW and JAH are inventors of patents related to synthetically glycosylated inverse vaccines, licensed to Anokion, Inc, in which DSW and JAH are shareholders. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.