Allergy Therapeutics has initiated a biomarker study at Imperial College London, which will aim to evaluate its novel virus like particle (VLP) based peanut allergy vaccine candidate.

The study will use human samples and a set of functional and molecular biomarkers to establish the starting dose to be used for its first-in-human phase I study of the VLP-based vaccine candidate.

In addition, this study will work as an early clinical predictor of efficacy of Allergy’s VLP platform, as well as support the investigational new drug application (IND) application for the vaccine.

On top of the biomarker study, a parallel research project with Imperial College has also begun, which is focused on selecting, measuring and analysing pre-clinical and clinical biomarkers for allergen immunotherapy products across Allergy’s portfolio.

“A safe and effective short-course peanut allergy vaccine would be a significant breakthrough product, offering life-changing benefits to sufferers affected by this condition. The data we have generated so far for our peanut vaccine candidate give us confidence in its potential and through this study we have an opportunity to build on that confidence and provide our upcoming Phase I study with the greatest chances of success,” said Manuel Llobet, chief executive officer of Allergy Therapeutics.

“Our collaboration with Imperial College London, who are one of the foremost experts in this field, will equip us with a greater depth of knowledge of allergy biomarkers and their relationship to clinical outcomes, which will be applied to future clinical trials and aid in the development of our allergy immunotherapy pipeline,” he added.

Allergy’s peanut allergy vaccine programme is already supported by a preclinical research package, with pre-clinical proof of concept for sustained immunity and protection against peanut anaphylaxis after one vaccination.