Food allergy: immune mechanisms, diagnosis and immunotherapy

  • Nat Rev Immunol. 2016 Dec;16(12):751-765. doi: 10.1038/nri.2016.111.
Wong Yu  #  1  2  3 ,  Deborah M Hussey Freeland  #  1  2 ,  Kari C Nadeau  1  2  3
Affiliations
  • 1. Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University.
  • 2. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University.
  • 3. Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 27795547 DOI: 10.1038/nri.2016.111
Abstract

Food Allergy is a pathological, potentially deadly, immune reaction triggered by normally innocuous food protein Antigens. The prevalence of food allergies is rising and the standard of care is not optimal, consisting of food-allergen avoidance and treatment of allergen-induced systemic reactions with adrenaline. Thus, accurate diagnosis, prevention and treatment are pressing needs, research into which has been catalysed by technological advances that are enabling a mechanistic understanding of food Allergy at the cellular and molecular levels. We discuss the diagnosis and treatment of IgE-mediated food Allergy in the context of the immune mechanisms associated with healthy tolerance to common foods, the inflammatory response underlying most food allergies, and immunotherapy-induced desensitization. We highlight promising research advances, therapeutic innovations and the challenges that remain.