Scientists from the National Polytechnic Institute create a vaccine against allergic asthma | ANTENA 3 TV

To reduce allergic asthma, scientists from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) of Mexico City have developed customized vaccines based on pollen more frequent in the atmosphere of the Mexican capital.

These pollens affect the lung function of 10% of Mexico's populationmainly children and adolescents.

"The vaccines are specific to each patient and, unlike current treatments, they contain only the exact amounts of allergens that cause the problem, "explained the director of research,

Current therapies apply all antigens even if they are not allergic. "It is a desensitization therapy in which, depending on the situation of each person, the antigens are administered in a single mixture and, with that, we are waiting for the definitive treatment," he said. added.

The specialist explained that "with these vaccines, the IPN had the opportunity to participate in the transition"towards more effective and safer treatments for allergic asthmasince only the antigens to which they are susceptible will be applied to patients. "

Thanks to immunotherapy, "the normal course of the disease is changed" because Protective type reactions are obtained in the same way as a conventional vaccinethat is, "the formation of antibodies that block the allergen is stimulated so that it can not bind to the receptors of the cells responsible for the symptomatic reactions of the allergy".

The researcher pointed out that to determine the improvement the first badessment is done after six months after the start of treatment. "Close communication between the specialist and the patient is very important, as is follow the desensitization regime that is established to achieve effective results, "he said.

To identify the most frequent pollen in the Mexico City atmosphere, a study was conducted in collaboration with Ms. María del Carmen Calderón Ezquerro, Center for Atmospheric Sciences, National University. Autonomous Community of Mexico (UNAM) and responsible for the Mexican Aerobiology Network (REMA). In this way, it has been determined that the pollens come from amaranth, pastures and oak and ash trees. "We studied the pollen of amaranth, oak and ashes and identified the five most important antigens of each of them," he said.

Later, at the services of the Hospital Juárez de México and the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), both of the Ministry of Health, the number of asthmatic patients because of these pollens and they identified the antigens that cause these responses. "We got these results from the frequency at which patients react to each antigen and the amount of antibodies produced for each one of them," said Reyes López.

Through techniques chromatography and immunochemistry, the researchers isolated the antigens and they identified pollen allergenic proteins, of those who have determined its size and the sequence of amino acids that compose them.

Dr. Reyes Lopez pointed out that vaccines developed in IPN would open up new treatment options for people with allergic asthma and felt that the first results of desensitization treatment will have them from here. the end of 2020. He has apply the treatment to evaluate its effects on allergy services hospitals: General of Mexico, Juárez de México, PEMEX and Regional High Specialty of Oaxaca.