Erythrocyte-binding therapeutics

A composition for use in inducing tolerance comprising:

• an antigen to which tolerance is desired;
• wherein the antigen is selected from the group consisting of gliadin and portions thereof;
• a cell binding moiety,
• wherein the cell binding moiety is an erythrocyte-binding moiety having the ability to non-covalently, specifically bind an exterior erythrocyte surface in situ in blood,
• wherein the erythrocyte-binding moiety is directed against glycophorin A,
• wherein the erythrocyte-binding moiety has erythrocyte dissociation constant of between about 10 μM and 0.1 nM,
• wherein the antigen to which tolerance is desired is joined to the erythrocyte-binding moiety,
• wherein, upon administration to a human, the composition:
• (i) binds to CD45 negative cells, but not to CD45 positive cells,
• (ii) induces greater proliferation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, as compared to the proliferation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells induced by the antigen alone, or
• (iii) reduces the number of resident lymph node and spleen cells expressing interferon-gamma (IFNγ), as compared to the number of resident lymph node and spleen cells expressing IFNγ when the human is exposed to the antigen alone.

A composition comprising an antigen recombinantly fused or chemically conjugated with an erythrocyte-binding moiety;

• wherein the erythrocyte-binding moiety comprises an antibody, antibody fragment, or a single chain variable fragment (scFv) that binds to human glycophorin A;
• and
• wherein the antigen is selected from the group consisting of gliadin, α-gliadin and γ-gliadin, and a portion thereof, and
• wherein, upon administration to a human in which tolerance to the antigen is desired:
• the composition binds to CD45 negative cells, but not to CD45 positive cells, and the composition reduces, fails to induce, or prevents inflammatory responses in antigen-specific T cells as compared to when the human is exposed to the antigen alone.