Nanoparticle–allergen complexes for allergen immunotherapy

What is it about?

Allergen specific immunotherapy is the only curative approach to treating allergic disorders that ameliorates symptoms, reduces medication costs and blocks the onset of new sensitizations. Despite this clinical evidence, there remain some open questions regarding the safety and efficacy of this treatment. This suggests the need for novel therapeutic approaches to reduce the dose and the frequency of its administration. Biomedical applications using nanoparticles have been exploited in the attempt to find formulations with improved stability, bioavailability, favorable biodistribution profiles and the capability of targeting specific cell populations.

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Why is it important?

This paper review some of the most relevant regulatory aspects and challenges concerning nanoparticle-based formulations with immunomodulatory potential, their related immunosafety issues, and the nature of the nanoparticles most widely employed in the allergy field. It also reports in vitro and in vivo data published using allergen/nanoparticle systems, discussing their impact on the immune system in terms of immunomodulatory activity and the reduction of side effects, showing that this strategy is a novel and promising tool for the development of allergy vaccines.