If you’re one of the hapless souls who were dealt the cruel fate of being a cat person who is allergic to cats, your luck could change thanks to a group of scientists in Switzerland. The research group HypoPet AG announced it has been working on a vaccine that would decrease the presence of Fel d 1, the glycoprotein secreted by cats to which 10 percent of the Western population is allergic.
According to a HydroPet news release, the vaccine, called HypoCat, has already shown success in neutralizing the allergen in cats without overt toxicity. “We are very pleased to publish this data which shows our HypoCat™ vaccine is able to produce high levels of antibodies in cats and that these antibodies can bind and neutralize the Fel d 1 allergen produced by the animals. This work was a key step in the milestone driven development of HypoCat™, the lead project in our product pipeline,” said Dr. Gary Jennings, CEO of HypoPet AG, in the statement. The group collected its data using four separate studies with a total of 54 felines.
HydroPet plans to discuss bringing its innovation to market with regulators in the United States and Europe. If the company is successful, this vaccine, which would be administered to the allergic owner’s cat, would be life-changing. As the study concludes, cat owners would reduce their risk of developing health issues such as chronic breathing problems, shortness of breath, rashes, and severe asthma. And not to mention, more people would be less likely to rehome their cat. Yay, science!
