Dr. Gabriela Sánchez Acosta
MedUni Wien RESEARCHER OF THE MONTH May 2021
Allergen-specific IgG antibodies: key players in the successful treatment of apple allergy?
Birch pollen-related apple allergy affects 70% of birch pollen-allergic individuals and is the most common food allergy in adolescents and adults in Northern Europe. Unlike the seasonal pollinosis, BPRAA often persists perennially and therefore significantly impairs the quality of life of the affected individuals. With our study, we show for the first time that sublingual immunotherapy with the recombinant apple allergen Mal d 1 induces clinical tolerance based on IgE-blocking IgG1 antibodies primarily specific for the food allergen. Our findings challenge the current dogma that mainly IgG4 antibodies induced by allergen-specific immunotherapy mediate a protective effect and contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology underlying the treatment of allergy.
Selected Literature
- Sánchez Acosta G., Kinaciyan T., Kitzmüller C., Möbs C., Pfützner W. and Bohle B. IgE-blocking antibodies following SLIT with recombinant Mal d 1 accord with improved apple allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2020;146(4):894-900.e2. (IF: 14.1)