Molecular biomarkers for grass pollen immunotherapy

Abstract

Grass pollen allergy represents a significant cause of allergic morbidity worldwide. Component-resolved diagnosis biomarkers are increasingly used in allergy practice in order to evaluate the sensitization to grass pollen allergens, allowing the clinician to confirm genuine sensitization to the corresponding allergen plant sources and supporting an accurate prescription of allergy immunotherapy (AIT), an important approach in many regions of the world with great plant biodiversity and/or where pollen seasons may overlap. The search for candidate predictive biomarkers for grass pollen immunotherapy (tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells biomarkers, serum blocking antibodies biomarkers, especially functional ones, immune activation and immune tolerance soluble biomarkers and apoptosis biomarkers) opens new opportunities for the early detection of clinical responders for AIT, for the follow-up of these patients and for the development of new allergy vaccines.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Molecular allergy; Grass pollen immunotherapy

Core tip: A concomitant approach of the component-resolved diagnosis biomarkers used to guide prescription of grass pollen immunotherapy, particularly important in regions of the world where grass pollen seasons temporal overlap with other types of pollen, together with candidate predictive biomarkers of clinical efficacy for this type of immunotherapy, classified as tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells biomarkers, antibodies biomarkers, especially functional ones, immune activation and immune tolerance soluble biomarkers and apoptosis biomarkers, represents a methodological original presentation with an important educational role in the field molecular allergy considered imperative for clinical practice.