Vaccination for Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is, like other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) considered a proteinopathy. Thus, a disease that is driven by the accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins, in case of PD α-synuclein (aSyn) is incriminated. Accordingly, removal of aSyn is assumed of having the potential to modify the course of the disease. Both active and passive aSyn targeting immunotherapy were found to modify disease in mice overexpressing human aSyn and recapitulating various aspects of synucleopathies. Translating immunotherapy to humans needs to consider the issue of potential autoimmunity. PD vaccines developed by AFFiRiS integrate the safety concept as applied for the company's AD vaccine candidates. This includes the use of short antigens, precluding activation of aSyn-specific T cells and, thus, cellular autoimmunity. Moreover, the selection of AFFITOPES® for clinical development is based on the principle of exclusive aSyn reactivity of vaccine-induced Abs excluding crossreactivity to β-synuclein (bSyn), which is ensured by the AFFITOME® platform technology. PD01, the first in class aSyn vaccine developed by AFFiRiS is about to enter the clinical phase of development.