Allergy Immunotherapy with Depigmented Glutaraldehyde-Polymerized Extracts

Allergy Immunotherapy
Allergic rhinitis is a very common problem associated with poor quality of life, reductions in social and work activities and poor interpersonal relationships. The main goal of the management of allergic rhinitis is to improve the quality of life. Immunotherapy is a specific therapy for allergic rhinitis and several reports have documented the safety and efficacy of this treatment . Safety has been a key issue in immunotherapy and various modalities are being investigated to make allergy immunotherapy more tolerable and safe to administer. (more…)

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Allergen Vaccine Potency by Skin Testing and Vivo Testing

The potency of an allergen vaccine is the total allergen activity (that is, the sum of the contribution to allergenic activity from any individual IgE molecule specific for any t-cell epitopes on any molecule in the allergen vaccine). It follows that potency measures always will depend on the serum pool or patient panel selected as well as the methodology used. Methods used for the assessment of allergen vaccine potency may be divided into in vitro or in vivo techniques. (more…)

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The Establishment and Use of Allergen Vaccine International Standards

A subcommittee under the International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) for the establishment of international standards (IS) agreed on guidelines in 1980-8 1. It was assumed that the collaboration and joint authority of the World Health Organization would be essential to achieve acceptance at an international level. In the following years the subcommittee selected, characterized, and produced international standards from several allergenic sources including Ambrusim artemisiifolia (short ragweed), Phleum pratense (timothy grass), the domestic mite Dermatuphagoides pterurzyssinus,Betula vernrcusa (birch), and Canis familiaris (dog). Additional standards were planned for the mold Alternaria alternuta, for the grasses Cynodon ducglun (Bermuda grass) and Lolium perenne (rye grass), Felis dumesticirs (cat), and the domestic mite Dermatuphaguides furinae, but this initiative unfortunately seems to have stopped prematurely. (more…)

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Allergen Vaccine and Allergenic Source of Material

Allergen Vaccine
Being an immunological disease, the characteristics of allergy are those of specificity and memory. Regardless of whether the clinical manifestation is rhinoconjunctivitis, rhinitis, or asthma, the underlying immunological response disorder is based on the adverse reactions of cells in the immune system upon contact with allergens. These cells are specific for epitopes that are structural parts of allergens present in the allergenic source material. Two types of cells (i.e., T cells and B-cells) produce receptor molecules (i.e., T-cell receptors and immunoglobulin [IgE] antibodies) that, through high-affinity interactions with the allergen, efficiently catalyze the presence of even minute amounts of allergens into clinical symptoms, the extreme consequence of which may be life-threatening to the patient. (more…)

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Allergen Vaccines Preparation, Production and Extraction

Vaccines Preparation
The production of allergen vaccines imposes a number of constraints on both the selection of source materials and the physicochemical conditions used during the extraction procedure. The process must neither denature the proteins (allergens) nor alter their composition significantly, including the quantitative ratio between the individual components. (more…)

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Immunoelectrophoresis: Quantification of Specific Allergens

Having determined an adequate potency and complexity in composition, an allergen vaccine may still be deficient in the content of major allergen. Only a few manufacturers of allergen vaccines have acknowledged the importance of controlling individual allergens in the vaccines, but the principle is gaining more acceptance among control authorities and clinicians, both in Europe and in the United States. (more…)

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Methods for the Assessment of Allergen Vaccine Quality

Allergen Vaccine Quality
The quality of an allergen vaccine is a measure of the complexity of the composition, including the concentration of the various constituents. That is, the presence or absence of individual constituents determines the quality. Only selected constituents (i.e., the major allergens or other marker proteins) can be quantified independently. The complexity of the composition of allergen vaccines can be assessed by several techniques. These are standard separation techniques in biochemistry and traditional immunochemistry. (more…)

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Standardization of Allergen Vaccines by Controlling IgE-Binding T-Cell Epitopes

t cell epitopes
Allergen vaccines are complex mixtures of antigenic components produced by the extraction of naturally occurring source materials, which are known to vary considerably in composition. Without intervention, this variation will be reflected in the final products.

The purpose of standardization is to minimize both qualitative and quantitative variations in composition so that a higher level of safety, efficacy, accuracy, and simplicity in allergy diagnosis and allergy vaccination may be obtained. Standardization of allergen vaccines can never be absolute, but it can be improved progressively as new methodologies and technologies are developed and the understanding of the properties of the allergens and the immune responses of allergic patients is increased. (more…)

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