ARIA-EAACI statement on asthma and COVID-19 (June 2, 2020)

Non peer reviewe

Mechanisms of Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy and Novel Ways for Vaccine Development

WOS: 000328179600004PubMed: 24153333Allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only available curative treatment of allergic diseases. Recent evidence provided a plausible explanation to its multiple mechanisms inducing both rapid desensitization and long-term allergen-specific immune tolerance, and suppression of allergic inflammation in the affected tissues. During SIT, peripheral tolerance is induced by the generation of allergen-specific regulatory T cells, which suppress proliferative and cytokine responses against the allergen of interest. Regulatory T cells are characterized by IL-10 and TGF-beta secretion and expression of important cell surface suppressive molecules such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 and programmed death-1 that directly or indirectly influence effector cells of allergic inflammation, such as mast cells, basophils and eosinophils. Regulatory T cells and particularly IL-10 also have an influence on B cells, suppressing IgE production and inducing the production of blocking type IgG4 antibodies. In addition, development of allergen-specific B regulatory cells that produce IL-10 and develop into IgG4 producing plasma cells represent essential players in peripheral tolerance. These findings together with the new biotechnological approaches create a platform for development of the advanced vaccines. Moreover, reliable biomarkers could be selected and validated with the intention to select the patients who will benefit most from this immune-modifying treatment. Thus, allergen-SIT could provide a complete cure for a larger number of allergic patients and novel preventive approaches need to be elaborated.Swiss National Science FoundationSwiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) [320030-132899, 32-125249]; Christine Kuhne-Center for Allergy Research and Education; Davos (CK-CARE); MeDALL: Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (European 7th frame work project) [261357]; Polish National Science Centre [2011/01/B/NZ6/01872, 2012/04/M/NZ6/00355, 2012/04/A/NZ6/00407]The author's laboratories are supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant 320030-132899, 32-125249), Christine Kuhne-Center for Allergy Research and Education, Davos (CK-CARE), MeDALL: Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (European 7th frame work project No: 261357), and Polish National Science Centre (grants No. 2011/01/B/NZ6/01872, 2012/04/M/NZ6/00355 and 2012/04/A/NZ6/00407)

A compendium answering 150 questions on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2

Jimenez-Saiz, Rodrigo/0000-0002-0606-3251; O'Mahony, Liam/0000-0003-4705-3583; Comberiati, Pasquale/0000-0001-5209-9733; O'Hehir, Robyn/0000-0002-3489-7595; de las Vecillas Sanchez, Leticia/0000-0003-4969-5678; RIGGIONI, CARMEN/0000-0002-8745-0228; Correia, Magna/0000-0002-7676-5558; AZKUR, DILEK/0000-0002-4396-9087WOS:000550399700001PubMed: 32535955In December 2019, China reported the first cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has developed into a pandemic. To date, it has resulted in similar to 9 million confirmed cases and caused almost 500 000 related deaths worldwide. Unequivocally, the COVID-19 pandemic is the gravest health and socioeconomic crisis of our time. In this context, numerous questions have emerged in demand of basic scientific information and evidence-based medical advice on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Although the majority of the patients show a very mild, self-limiting viral respiratory disease, many clinical manifestations in severe patients are unique to COVID-19, such as severe lymphopenia and eosinopenia, extensive pneumonia, a "cytokine storm" leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome, endothelitis, thromboembolic complications, and multiorgan failure. The epidemiologic features of COVID-19 are distinctive and have changed throughout the pandemic. Vaccine and drug development studies and clinical trials are rapidly growing at an unprecedented speed. However, basic and clinical research on COVID-19-related topics should be based on more coordinated high-quality studies. This paper answers pressing questions, formulated by young clinicians and scientists, on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, and allergy, focusing on the following topics: virology, immunology, diagnosis, management of patients with allergic disease and asthma, treatment, clinical trials, drug discovery, vaccine development, and epidemiology. A total of 150 questions were answered by experts in the field providing a comprehensive and practical overview of COVID-19 and allergic disease.EAACIThe authors thank EAACI for the support to the Junior Member Assembly (JMA), the sections, interest groups, and working groups that enabled the generation of this paper. The authors recognize Dr Anna Globinska for graphic design and Dr Laura Alberch for a critical review of the manuscript

Computational analysis of multimorbidity between asthma, eczema and rhinitis

Background The mechanisms explaining the co-existence of asthma, eczema and rhinitis (allergic multimorbidity) are largely unknown. We investigated the mechanisms underlying multimorbidity between three main allergic diseases at a molecular level by identifying the proteins and cellular processes that are common to them. Methods An in silico study based on computational analysis of the topology of the protein interaction network was performed in order to characterize the molecular mechanisms of multimorbidity of asthma, eczema and rhinitis. As a first step, proteins associated to either disease were identified using data mining approaches, and their overlap was calculated. Secondly, a functional interaction network was built, allowing to identify cellular pathways involved in allergic multimorbidity. Finally, a network-based algorithm generated a ranked list of newly predicted multimorbidity-associated proteins. Results Asthma, eczema and rhinitis shared a larger number of associated proteins than expected by chance, and their associated proteins exhibited a significant degree of interconnectedness in the interaction network. There were 15 pathways involved in the multimorbidity of asthma, eczema and rhinitis, including IL4 signaling and GATA3-related pathways. A number of proteins potentially associated to these multimorbidity processes were also obtained. Conclusions These results strongly support the existence of an allergic multimorbidity cluster between asthma, eczema and rhinitis, and suggest that type 2 signaling pathways represent a relevant multimorbidity mechanism of allergic diseases. Furthermore, we identified new candidates contributing to multimorbidity that may assist in identifying new targets for multimorbid allergic diseases

Understanding the complexity of IgE-related phenotypes from childhood to young adulthood: A Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL) Seminar

Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL), a Seventh Framework Program European Union project, aims to generate novel knowledge on the mechanisms of initiation of allergy. Precise phenotypes of IgE-mediated allergic diseases will be defined in MeDALL. As part of MeDALL, a scientific seminar was held on January 24, 2011, to review current knowledge on the IgE-related phenotypes and to explore how a multidisciplinary effort could result in a new integrative translational approach. This article provides a summary of the meeting. It develops challenges in IgE-related phenotypes and new clinical and epidemiologic approaches to the investigation of allergic phenotypes, including cluster analysis, scale-free models, candidate biomarkers, and IgE microarrays; the particular case of severe asthma was reviewed. Then novel approaches to the IgE-associated phenotypes are reviewed from the individual mechanisms to the systems, including epigenetics, human in vitro immunology, systems biology, and animal models. The last chapter deals with the understanding of the population-based IgE-associated phenotypes in children and adolescents, including age effect in terms of maturation, observed effects of early-life exposures and shift of focus from early life to pregnancy, gene-environment interactions, cohort effects, and time trends in patients with allergic diseases. This review helps to define phenotypes of allergic diseases in MeDALL. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;129:943-54.

Understanding the complexity of IgE-related phenotypes from childhood to young adulthood: A Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL) Seminar

Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL), a Seventh Framework Program European Union project, aims to generate novel knowledge on the mechanisms of initiation of allergy. Precise phenotypes of IgE-mediated allergic diseases will be defined in MeDALL. As part of MeDALL, a scientific seminar was held on January 24, 2011, to review current knowledge on the IgE-related phenotypes and to explore how a multidisciplinary effort could result in a new integrative translational approach. This article provides a summary of the meeting. It develops challenges in IgE-related phenotypes and new clinical and epidemiologic approaches to the investigation of allergic phenotypes, including cluster analysis, scale-free models, candidate biomarkers, and IgE microarrays; the particular case of severe asthma was reviewed. Then novel approaches to the IgE-associated phenotypes are reviewed from the individual mechanisms to the systems, including epigenetics, human in vitro immunology, systems biology, and animal models. The last chapter deals with the understanding of the population-based IgE-associated phenotypes in children and adolescents, including age effect in terms of maturation, observed effects of early-life exposures and shift of focus from early life to pregnancy, gene-environment interactions, cohort effects, and time trends in patients with allergic diseases. This review helps to define phenotypes of allergic diseases in MeDALL. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;129:943-54.

Use of biologics in allergic and type 2 inflammatory diseases in the current Covid 19 pandemic

Klimek L, Pfaar O, Worm M, et al. Anwendung von Biologika bei allergischen und Typ-2-entzündlichen Erkrankungen in der aktuellen Covid-19-Pandemie. Allergo Journal . 2020;29(4):14-27