Legends of allergy and immunology: Otto Scheiner

Otto Scheiner (Figure 1), born in 1944 in Vienna, Austria, studied chemistry, physics, and philosophy at the University of Vienna, and received his PhD in 1976. In the same year, he joined the Allergy and Immunology Research Group of Dietrich Kraft at the Institute of General and Experimental Pathology of the University of Vienna. From 1980 to 1982 he pursued his postdoctoral research in the lab of Manfred Dierich at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, on receptors for the complement system proteins C3 and factor H on mononuclear cells. On his return to Vienna, a close cooperation with the Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine (headed by Gerhard Wiedermann) of the University of Vienna was established focusing on molecular parasitology and identification of important pathogenic antigens for therapeutic targets. In 1984, Scheiner, together with Dietrich Kraft, Helmut Rumpold, and Michael Breitenbach, began a project to develop recombinant allergens, which was financed by the pharmacist Jörg Mayrhofer. Together with Michael Breitenbach he advised Heimo Breiteneder on cloning of the first plant allergen Bet v 1 from pollen of the white birch, which was published in 1989.1 Scheiner named his car the "BETV1 mobile" (Figure 2). In 1991, Rudolf Valenta and Otto Scheiner identified birch pollen profilin as a new allergen, thus initiating research into cross-reactive panallergens.2 Scheiner became a major ideologic driving force behind the concept of recombinant allergens. In 1993, he gave a sensational lecture at a conference on recombinant allergens organized by Robert A. Goldstein at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland. In the following years of intensive research, Scheiner overcame numerous hurdles involved in obtaining the first patents on recombinant Bet v 1. He was a very active member of the WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee and a member of the prestigious Collegium Internationale Allergologicum. From 1994, Scheiner headed the Division of Applied Experimental Pathology of the University of Vienna, later becoming Professor of Applied and Experimental Pathology in 1997. He extended his research to allergen-specific immunotherapy and kept passionately promoting recombinant allergens at national and international scientific conferences.3 Breiteneder's involvement in phage display during his postdoctoral studies in Tucson, Arizona, caught Scheiner's attention. Recognizing its potential for vaccine development, Scheiner initiated research in this field upon Breiteneder's return to Vienna. In 1998, Scheiner, along with the oncologist Christoph Zielinski and the dermatologist Hubert Pehamberger, founded a translational project on cancer vaccines, utilizing phage libraries to identify potential B-cell epitopes on cancer antigens. They selected breast cancer overexpressing Her-2/neu and melanoma for vaccine development, established a spin-off company and appointed the researchers Heimo Breiteneder, Erika Jensen-Jarolim, Christine Hafner, and Ursula Wiedermann to expedite the research goal. The first generation of B-cell peptide vaccines, identified by computational analysis,4 have been used in clinical trials in patients with Her-2 overexpressing breast cancer5 and more recently in phase Ib and phase II trials against gastric cancer. Phage display was also used to identify mimotopes of the human high molecular weight melanoma-associated antigen, demonstrating anti-tumor effects in mouse models of melanoma.6 Over the years, the technology for B-cell peptide/mimotope identification has been continuously improved, with several new vaccine candidates, including mimotopes from checkpoint inhibitors combined with tumor-associated antigens, being tested and validated. Scheiner's contributions to immunology, allergology, infectiology, and cancer vaccines are documented in over 300 scientific publications. He also played a significant role in the strategic planning of the transformation of the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna into the independent Medical University of Vienna. His engagement led to the founding of the Center of Pathophysiology, Infectiology, and Immunology as well as to one of the five major research clusters at this university, the Cluster of Allergology, Infectiology and Immunology. In 2008, Scheiner was nominated as an Honorary Senator of the Medical University of Vienna in recognition of his scientific contributions and organizational work. Scheiner's philosophy was always that a good scientist's success is measured by the achievements of his students and colleagues, reflecting his lasting influence on the field. Studies on the receptors of the complement system proteins C3 and factor H; Founding member of the Vienna School of Molecular Allergology; Cloning and recombinant production of allergens; Allergy nomenclature; Implementation of phage display technology for identification of novel vaccine candidates; and Development of B cell mimotope-based vaccines against breast cancer and melanoma. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.