The FAST project (Food Allergy Specific Immunotherapy) aims at the development of safe and effective treatment
of food allergies, targeting prevalent, persistent and severe allergy to fish and peach. Classical allergen-specific
immunotherapy (SIT), using subcutaneous injections with aqueous food extracts may be effective but has proven
to be accompanied by too many anaphylactic side-effects. FAST aims to develop a safe alternative by replacing
food extracts with hypoallergenic recombinant major allergens as the active ingredients of SIT. Both severe fish and
peach allergy are caused by a single major allergen, parvalbumin (Cyp c 1) and lipid transfer protein (Pru p 3),
respectively. Two approaches are being evaluated for achieving hypoallergenicity, i.e. site-directed mutagenesis and
chemical modification. The most promising hypoallergens will be produced under GMP conditions. After preclinical
testing (toxicology testing and efficacy in mouse models), SCIT with alum-absorbed hypoallergens will be
evaluated in phase I/IIa and IIb randomized double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) clinical trials, with the DBPC
food challenge as primary read-out. To understand the underlying immune mechanisms in depth serological and
cellular immune analyses will be performed, allowing identification of novel biomarkers for monitoring treatment
efficacy. FAST aims at improving the quality of life of food allergic patients by providing a safe and effective
treatment that will significantly lower their threshold for fish or peach intake, thereby decreasing their anxiety and
dependence on rescue medication.
