Publication on 'Tregitopes' in Blood Journal of Oc...( PROVIDENCE R.I. Oct. 27 /- Dr. An...)

PROVIDENCE, R.I., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Annie De Groot, CEO of EpiVax, is the lead author on an article highlighting key findings about the activation of natural regulatory T cells by IgG Fc-derived peptide, also known as Epi-13 or "Tregitopes." These findings were published in the October 8 issue of the prestigious Blood, the medical journal published by the American Society of Hematology.

In an accompanying editorial, Rachel Caspi of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) wrote, "This important finding has the potential to explain tolerance to human antibody variable regions, the effects of immunoglobulin-Ag conjugates, the weak immunogenicity of Fc fusion proteins, and the therapeutic and regulatory effects of clinical preparations of IVIg on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases." De Groot is the principal investigator of newly awarded grants from the NIH and the Montel Williams Foundation to explore the use of the Tregitopes in Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) and Multiple Sclerosis, respectively.

About Autoimmune Diseases

In most patients with autoimmune disease, responses to the body's own proteins cause tissue damage or dysregulation of normal body functions. Autoimmune diseases include such illnesses as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, and others The approach used by EpiVax is called "Antigen-Specific Adaptive Tolerance Induction (ASATI(TM))" to specifically target and reduce undesirable immune responses. EpiVax used its proprietary computer algorithms to identify the molecules that induce ASATI.

Because ASATI uses the body's own natural responses, this intervention has the potential to be far safer than immunosuppressive drugs that are now being studied. The promising treatment, called Epi-13(TM), may have application to a broad range of auto-immune disorders.

About Epi-13(TM)

Epi-13(TM) is a group of "Tregitope" peptides that induce the body's own natural regulatory T ce
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