COUR Pharmaceuticals, a company based in Elmhurst, Illinois, is developing first-in-class therapies designed to reprogram the immune system to achieve antigen-specific tolerance for immune-mediated diseases.
The company, which is already in phase 2 clinical trials with a treatment for celiac disease, has announced the FDA has accepted their Investigational New Drug (IND) application for evaluation of CNP-201, a treatment for peanut allergy. that reduces the need for strict peanut avoidance and reduces the potentially fatal health risks associated with peanut allergy.
Said John J Puisis, co-founder, president & CEO of COUR:
This will be the first clinical trial with a first-in-class therapy to reprogram the immune system to stop the allergic response to peanuts. Our hope is the clinical trials will confirm that CNP-201 can help eliminate the potentially fatal health risks associated with patients who have a peanut allergy.
CNP-201 is a biodegradable nanoparticle encapsulating purified peanut protein extract and administered through intravenous infusion. The nanoparticles containing peanut allergens are consumed by immune-presenting cells. When the particles and allergens are presented by the immune presenting cell, they trigger a reprogramming of the cellular functions of the immune system, reducing and possibly eliminating the potential risk of severe allergic reactions.
Said Dr Kari Nadeau, Director, and Dr Sharon Chinthrajah Clinical Research Director of the Sean N Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University:
Our team were early supporters of the potential of COUR’s immune reprogramming platform, so we’re eager to see data showing CNP-201 can reprogram T cells, shut down B cells, and protect the allergy patient from continual B cell production of IgE and associated allergic cytokines, which are so deleterious to patients’ quality-of-life.
Peanut allergy is the most common food allergy in children under age 18 and the second-most common food allergy in adults. A recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that as many as 4.6 million US adults are allergic to peanuts.
Here’s a video illustrating how the COUR platform introduces an allergen to the immune system and retrains it to see that allergen as not harmful:
- About COUR — Company Website
- FDA Accepts Investigational New Drug Application for Peanut Allergy Candidate Developed by COUR Pharmaceuticals — Company Press Release
- Prevalence and characteristics of peanut allergy in US adults — JACI
