Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0038358 (gastric ulcer)
 5,179 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

By deliberately upsetting the body's recognition of self, and inducing an immune response against specific self antigens, birth control vaccines and disease therapies may be possible. The vaccine must be highly specific, the antigen must be present in small amounts or at limited times, and the benefit-to-risk ratio must be thoroughly evaluated. Target antigens being considered for birth control vaccines include sperm antigens or enzymes, zona pellucida of the ova and the pituitary hormone hCG. Anti-sperm immunity has been observed naturally occurring, and induced experimentally. Anti-ovum vaccines have the drawback of possibly reacting with ovarian tissue. The gonadotropin hormone receiving the most attention is hCG, or specifically its carboxy-terminal subunit. The rest of the peptide is too similar to hLH. Anti-hCG could act by preventing the luteotrophic effect of the hormone, or by attacking the hCG-producing cells of the blastocyst. Vaccines based on hCG with a tetanus toxoid carrier and a synthetic hCG peptide vaccine have been tested successfully in Phase 1 clinical trials. Other therapies based on immunization against self antigens include anticancer therapy, excess growth hormone and the Zollinger- Ellison syndrome of gastric ulcer disease. All of these approaches need to be monitored carefully to ensure that no damage is done to the host from circulating immune complexes.
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PMID:Birth control vaccines and immunological approaches to the therapy of noninfectious diseases. 234 90