Abstract

Allergen-specific immunotherapy has been carried out for almost a century and remains one of the few antigen-specific treatments for inflammatory diseases. The mechanisms by which allergen-specific immunotherapy exerts its effects include the modulation of both T-cell and B-cell responses to allergen. There is a strong rationale for improving the efficacy of allergen-specific immunotherapy by reducing the incidence and severity of adverse reactions mediated by IgE. Approaches to address this problem include the use of modified allergens, novel adjuvants and alternative routes of administration. This article reviews the development of allergen-specific immunotherapy, our current understanding of its mechanisms of action and its future prospects.

Author affiliations

1. Division of Clinical Immunology & Allergy, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 3Z5, Canada.
2. MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, Department of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, National Heart and Lung Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
3. Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), Obere Strasse 22, CH-7270 Davos Platz, Switzerland.
4. Division of Immunopathology, Department of Pathophysiology, Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18–20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.

Correspondence to: Mark Larché^1,2 Email: m.larche@imperial.ac.uk

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