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Hypoallergenic derivatives of major grass pollen allergens for allergy vaccination
Author(s) -
Singh Mohan B,
Bhalla Prem L
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1046/j.0818-9641.2002.01144.x
Subject(s) - hypoallergenic , allergy , allergen , hay fever , medicine , immunotherapy , immunology , phleum , anaphylactic reactions , vaccination , pollen , allergen immunotherapy , anaphylaxis , immune system , biology , agronomy , ecology
Grass pollen‐induced hay‐fever and allergic asthma represent a major health problem in industrialized countries. Whereas the symptoms of these allergic conditions can be controlled by pharmacotherapy, specific immunotherapy vaccination is the only causative approach towards the treatment of these type 1 allergies. Specific immunotherapy is based on administration of increasing amounts of the disease‐causing allergens in the form of allergen‐containing extracts. However, the extracts used for immunotherapy consist of allergenic and non‐allergenic components and may induce severe anaphylactic side‐effects upon therapeutic administration. With recent developments in molecular biology of pollen allergens it has become feasible to produce modified hypoallergenic derivatives of recombinant allergens with abrogated or greatly reduced likelihood of anaphylactic side‐effects as compared to extract‐based treatments. We have demonstrated this concept through reducing the anaphylactic potential of major rye grass pollen allergens by introducing a few point mutations which leave the overall structural fold of the molecule unaltered. These modified forms are expected to make allergen‐specific immunotherapy more widely used in the future.