Patent ID: 7285273

Claim:
A method of in vivo down-regulation of interleukin 5 (IL5) activity in an animal, including a human being, the method comprising administering an immunogenically effective amount of at least one T H epitope-containing IL5 polypeptide wherein said T H epitope-containing IL5 polypeptide differs from the animal's autologous IL5 polypeptide in that the T H epitope-containing IL5 polypeptide comprises at least one foreign T H epitope introduced into the amino acid sequence of the animal's autologous IL5 polypeptide, whereby immunization of the animal with the T H epitope-containing IL5 polypeptide produces antibodies against the animal's autologous IL5 polypeptide and whereby said T H epitope-containing IL5 polypeptide reacts to the same extent with an atiserum raised against the animal's autologous IL5 as does the autologous IL5 and wherein the T H epitope-containing IL5 polypeptide comprises a foreign T H epitope in at least one of loops 1-3 or in the amino acid residues C-terminal to helix D, said loops and said helix D corresponding to those shown in FIG. 3 for human and murine IL5, SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 12, respectively.