Peanut Allergen Aptamer

Neutralizing the Allergen at Its Source – Not Suppressing the Immune System

LEAD APTAMER: AYA22AR321
THERAPEUTIC AREA: Food Allergy / Peanut Allergy
STAGE: Late Lead Optimization (In Vivo Validations)

Peanut Allergen Aptamer

AYA22AR321

Neutralizing the Allergen at Its Source – Not Suppressing the Immune System

LEAD APTAMER: AYA22AR321
THERAPEUTIC AREA: Food Allergy / Peanut Allergy
STAGE: Late Lead Optimization (In Vivo Validations)

AYA22AR321 is a DNA aptamer designed to bind and neutralize the primary peanut allergens before they trigger an allergic reaction. The aptamer targets the major allergenic Ara h peanut proteins, preventing the immune cascade that leads to allergic responses.
This technology also powers FISTOQ™, an allergen-neutralizing formulation designed for surface decontamination and food safety applications.

Direct Allergen Neutralization

Targets the key peanut allergens responsible for allergic reactions and prevents activation of the allergic cascade.

Published Safety Profile

Targets the key peanut allergens responsible for allergic reactions and prevents activation of the allergic cascade.

Multiple Applications

Platform technology enabling therapeutic development and near-term commercial opportunities in food safety and agriculture.

The Unmet Need

Peanut allergy affects approximately 2% of children worldwide and is the leading cause of food-induced anaphylaxis. For patients and families, daily life involves constant vigilance to avoid accidental exposure in food preparation, restaurants, and shared environments.

Current Treatment Limitations

Oral Immunotherapy (Palforzia)

Requires years of allergen exposure and carries a risk of reactions during treatment.

Anti-IgE Biologic Therapy (Omalizumab)

Treats downstream immune responses but does not address the allergen itself.

Avoidance

The primary management strategy remains strict avoidance, yet accidental exposure remains common.

No existing therapy neutralizes the allergen itself or addresses environmental exposure risk.

Our Approach – Direct Allergen Nautralization

AYA22AR321 was developed using Ayass Bioscience’s computational design platform and selected to bind the proteins responsible for peanut allergic reactions. The aptamer targets the major allergenic peanut Ara h proteins. By binding these allergens, AYA22AR321 prevents IgE crosslinking on mast cells and basophils, blocking the first step in the allergic cascade and preventing immune cell activation.

Studies demonstrate that allergen neutralization significantly reduces IgE-mediated degranulation in immune cell models. Detailed binding characterization and mechanistic studies are available in the published research.

Immune Modulation

Beyond allergen neutralization, AYA22AR321 aptamers have demonstrated effects on immune signaling pathways associated with allergic responses. In vitro studies suggest that these aptamers influence Th1/Th2 immune balance, potentially shifting immune responses away from the Th2-dominant allergic phenotype.
This dual mechanism — allergen neutralization combined with immune modulation — may provide advantages beyond symptomatic treatment. Further studies are ongoing.

Safety Profile

Published studies demonstrate a strong safety profile for AYA22AR321. Key findings include:
Non-immunogenic in human immune cell assays
Non-cytotoxic at therapeutic concentrations
Non-mutagenic in standard Ames testing
This safety profile supports continued development of the aptamer platform. Full safety data are available in the peer-reviewed publications.

FISTOQ™- Allergen-Nautralizing Technology Platform

AYA22AR321 has been formulated into FISTOQ™, an allergen-neutralizing technology with multiple potential applications across food safety and agriculture.

Surface Decontamination

FISTOQ™ can be used as a surface spray designed to neutralize peanut allergens on contaminated surfaces.

Potential environments include:

  • Food processing facilities
  • Restaurants and commercial kitchens
  • Schools and childcare centers
  • Airline and transportation food services
  • Consumer household kitchens

Neutralizing allergens on surfaces may help reduce the risk of accidental exposure.

Peanut Food Processing

AYA22AR321 may be incorporated into food processing workflows to neutralize allergenic proteins during peanut product preparation.

Potential benefits include:

  • Reduction of allergenic protein activity
  • Safer processing environments
  • Development of lower-allergen peanut products

Research is ongoing to evaluate this approach in real-world food matrices.

Agricultural Application

The technology may also support the development of allergen-neutralized peanuts through treatment during agricultural processing.

This approach could enable:

  • Reduced allergenicity in peanut crops
  • New food products suitable for broader populations
  • Agricultural innovation in allergen-safe food production

Further studies are underway to evaluate feasibility.

Publications

The underlying science and safety of the AYA22AR321 aptamer platform have been described in peer-reviewed publications:

Aptamer-Enhanced Surface Decontamination: A Novel Approach for Neutralizing Peanut Allergens and Preventing Cell Degranulation

Read Article

AYA22AR321 Aptamers Mitigate Peanut Allergenicity: Insights from Degranulation Assays and Immune Modulation

Read Article

Full experimental details, affinity measurements, and mechanistic studies are available in these publications

Current Status & Path Forward

Current Stage

Late Lead Optimization with ongoing in vivo validation studies.

Completed work includes:

  • Computational aptamer design
  • Allergen binding characterization
  • Immune cell degranulation assays
  • Immune modulation profiling
  • Comprehensive safety assessment
  • FISTOQ formulation development and stability testing

Development Paths

Therapeutic Development

Further animal model studies to evaluate immune modulation and allergy prevention.
Progression toward IND-enabling studies.

Commercial Development

FISTOQ™ deployment in food safety markets including food processing, hospitality, and consumer applications. Agricultural applications are also being explored.

Invest / Collaborate

Ayass Bioscience is seeking partners for both therapeutic development and commercial deployment of the FISTOQ™ allergen-neutralization platform.

Partnership opportunities

  • Therapeutic development collaborations for food allergy prevention and immune modulation
  • Food safety industry partnerships for allergen-neutralizing technologies in food processing and hospitality environments
  • Agricultural innovation partnerships for the development of reduced-allergen crop products
  • Commercial licensing opportunities for the FISTOQ™ platform

Platform Expansion Opportunities

Ayass Bioscience’s computational design platform enables the development of aptamers targeting additional food allergens, including those responsible for major food allergies. Potential future targets include allergens from:
Tree nuts
Milk
Eggs
Shellfish
Wheat and gluten-containing grains

We welcome collaborations to design and develop next-generation allergen-neutralizing technologies for broader food safety applications.