New approaches to allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT): development of a recombinant vaccine against birch pollen allergy

Abstract

Birch pollen allergy is widespread in the world and it is the most important problem of public health. Allergy to birch pollen has various clinical manifestations: allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, asthma, food allergy, as well as severe life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis. The only pathogenetic method of treatment that changes the immune response to a causally significant allergen is allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT). The ASIT methods used today have a number of disadvantages: difficulties in standardizing allergens, the risk of adverse events and inconvenient treatment regimens. In recent decades, ASIT molecular strategies have been developed that may allow the development of a vaccine with a minimum of these disadvantages. The review presents novel ASIT molecular strategies and information on the development of an innovative recombinant vaccine for the treatment of birch pollen allergy and cross-food allergy caused by apple allergens.

Keywords:birch pollen allergy; allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT); recombinant vaccine

For citation: Elisyutina O.G., Shershakova N.N., Smirnov V.V., Shilovskiy I.P., Korneev A.V., Poroshina A.S., Smolnikov E.V., Litovkina A.O., Fedenko E.S., Kudlay D.A., Valenta R., Khaitov M.R. New approaches to allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT): development of a recombinant vaccine against birch pollen allergy. Immunologiya. 2022; 43 (6): 621–31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33029/0206-4952-2022-42-6-621-631 (in Russian)

Funding. The work was supported by the RF Government Megagrant 075-15-2021-632 (14.W03.31.0024).

Conflict of interests. Authors declare no conflict of interests

Authors’ contribution. Concept, literature analysis, writing – Khaitov M.R., Valenta R., Elisyutina O.G.; literature analysis, writing and editing of the article – Shershakova N.N., Smirnov V.V., Shilovskiy I.P., Korneev A.V., Poroshina A.S., Smolnikov E.V., Litovkina A.O., Fedenko E.S., Kudlay D.A.

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