ENHANCED VACCINES COMPRISING SELF AND NON-SELF IgE PORTIONS OR DIMERIC ANTIGENS

摘要

The invention relates to methods and materials involved in the treatment and prevention of various diseases such as infections and IgE-related diseases. Specifically the invention relates to methods and materials that can be used to vaccinate a mammal against specific self or non-self antigens. The material comprises e.g. a complex of a self and an immunogenic non-self part of an antigen e.g. the Fc part of IgE. Also claimed are complexes of polypeptides having at least a stretch of five amino acids of similar structure in common. The effects of IgE within a mammal can be reduced by reducing the amount of total and receptor bound IgE in the mammal. In addition, the invention provides vaccine conjugates, immunogenic polypeptides and corresponding nucleic acid molecules and host cells and methods for making these conjugates, polypeptides and nucleic acid. Further, the invention provides an IgE vaccine that induces an anti-self IgE response in a mammal.