The potential of peptide immunotherapy in allergy and asthma

Allergic conditions contribute significantly to the burden of chronic disease in the industrialized world. Current treatments offer varying degrees of palliation. The sole proven disease-modifying strategy, specific or whole-allergen immunotherapy, is limited because of the associated risk of systemic adverse effects, such as anaphylaxis. Short, linear allergen-derived peptides, corresponding to T cell epitopes, offer the possibility of a safer approach as they are capable of inducing allergen-specific hyporesponsiveness without cross-linking mast cell-bound IgE. This review evaluates the scientific basis of peptide immunotherapy and clinical experience in allergy up to the present time.