The study characterized Tregs activity during epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT), oral immunotherapy (OIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), and showed that all methods of treatment desensitized peanut-sensitized mice, but only EPIT-induced Tregs continued to show suppressive abilities after treatment discontinuation.

 

DBV Technologies is developing Viaskin, a proprietary technology that uses EPIT to deliver allergenic compounds targeting the immune system through the immune cells of intact skin, the Langerhans cells in the epidermis.

 

“Although EPIT, OIT and SLIT were all able to desensitize peanut-allergic mice, only EPIT-induced Tregs maintained suppressive activities after treatment was stopped,” explained Dr. Lucie Mondoulet, deputy chief scientific officer of DBV Technologies. “Knowing that maintaining suppression ability after treatment may lead to the induction of long-term tolerance, we are now working to confirm these experimental data through our ongoing clinical trials with Viaskin.”

 

The study, “Differences in Phenotype, homing properties and suppressive activities of Regulatory T cells induced by Epicutaneous, Oral or Sublingual Immunotherapy in Mice Sensitized to Peanut,” showed that peanut desensitization with EPIT, OIT, and SLIT induce different Tregs subsets with differing homing properties, consequently inducing distinct long-term efficacy and maintenance ability in vivo. Tregs observed during OIT and SLIT showed only an effector/memory cell profile, while Tregs during EPIT showed both effector/memory and naive cell profiles. These “naive” Tregs appear to induce sustained suppression after discontinuation of treatment, suggesting the induction of a longer-lasting allergen tolerance in a mouse model.