Reducing exposure to the causative allergen relieves allergy symptoms. But how do you do that? Manzano and colleagues from IAF/ZAUM made a study, where they used commercially available air purifiers to eliminate fine particles from indoor air, to which the allergens stick. They could reduce the allergen load by about 80% (depending on allergen). Of course there are other ways to reduce allergen...

In this FOCUS article in Science Immunology, Fiona Henkel and Julia Esser-von Bieren highlight recent work showing that leukocytes are not the only cells that produce significant amounts of pro-inflammatory leukotrienes in asthma or during helminth infection. Indeed, specialized epithelial cells (called tuft cells) synthesize large amounts of cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs) that drive type 2...

Monocytes and macrophages are known to develop an “innate memory”, also called “trained immunity” in different types of infections or cardiovascular disease. The team around first author Dr. Antonie Lechner (AG Esser-von Bieren) now shows that monocyte-derived macrophages from allergic asthmatics display a persistent inflammatory imprint and increased responsiveness to house dust mite. The authors...

On November 19 Julia Esser-von Bieren was awarded the Henning Løwenstein Research Award 2021. This biennial award is given to a young researcher, who has shown excellence in the field of allergy research. The award was presented and handed out by Henning Løwenstein and Stephen Durham, who have made seminal contributions to the development of allergen specific immunotherapy (AIT), at ALK...

Prof. Dr. Jeroen Buters hat am 21 September 2021 eine Förderung vom Bayerischen Gesundheitsminister Holetscheck (Bayern) erhalten. Damit unterstützt das Ministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege die Forschung am automatischen Pollenmonitoring Netzwerk ePIN (www.epin.bayern.de oder pollenscience.eu). Ziel des Projektes ist es, die Messdaten von 8 Messstationen so zu verarbeiten, dass der Pollenflug an...

Climate change is generally considered to worsen allergy, because of extended pollination periods and higher allergen load in the pollen. In our new manuscripts the situation is re-analyzed by Jesus Rojo & Jeroen Buters on large data sets of pollen flight, but also on the distribution of the birch tree. The result is surprising: Most areas will see a decline in birch pollen load, except a few...

In experimental HDM AIT, a 220-fold reduced allergen dose is equally effective in control of allergic inflammation when HDM allergoids instead of extracts are applied. Low-dose non-adjuvanted allergoid AIT is less effective in inducing a potentially protective IgG1 response. Combining low-dose allergoid AIT with the adjuvant MCT or the adjuvant system MCT+MPL promotes Th1-inducing mechanisms and...

Die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft unterstützt in den kommenden drei Jahren ein Projekt von Dr. Szente-Pasztoi von der Gruppe Mukosale Immunologie, welches sich mit der Charakterisierung und Funktion von intestinalen Stromazellen befasst. Diese gewebsständigen Zellen finden sich in allen Körperorganen und sind maßgeblich an der Ausbildung von Struktur und Form jedes Organes beteiligt. Neueste...

Die DFG hat ein Graduierten Kolleg zum Thema "Immun-master Schalter in Allergie und Autoimmunität" bewilligt, das durch Prof. Tilo Biedermann geleitet wird und an dem sich ZAUM ebenfalls beteiligt.

Anti-inflammatory mechanisms from immune cells are intensively investigated. Here Uli Zissler and colleagues describe that SCGB1A1, an epithelial anti-inflammatory mediator is playing a role in allergen specific immunotherapy.

Is exhaustion another mechanism of allergen specific immunotherapy? Have a look for this video & open access paper: An exhausted phenotype of TH2 cells is primed by allergen...https://youtu.be/ktECcpaecqs OR youtu.be/sBHcZR8KdGQ via @YouTube  

ZAUM released a new website, where anybody interested in pollen can check the latest measurements. The website is connected to newly installed robotic pollen monitors that deliver new data every 3 hours. The website is interactive and the displayed data can be adjusted to the user needs. Most monitors are situated in Bavaria in the project ePIN (electronic pollen information network), but new...