Sublingual Immunotherapy of Birch Pollen Associated Apple Allergy
- Conditions
- Birch Pollen Related Apple AllergyBirch Pollen Allergy
- Interventions
- Drug: rMal d 1Drug: rBet v 1Other: placebo drops
- Registration Number
- NCT01449786
- Lead Sponsor
- Medical University of Vienna
- Brief Summary
More than 70% of birch pollen allergic patients suffer from allergic reactions to certain foods, e.g. stone fruits, hazelnut and some vegetables. However, specific immunotherapy (SIT) with birch pollen extract is not effective for the treatment of associated food allergy in a substantial number of patients. Based on our previous clinical and immunological investigations of birch pollen related food allergy (BPRFA) the investigators hypothesize that for effective SIT of this abundant food allergy the disease-eliciting food allergens should be employed. To prove this concept, the investigators aim to sublingually administer the major apple allergen, Mal d 1, to birch pollen-allergic patients with concomitant apple allergy and evaluate clinical and immunological effects of this treatment. The investigators choose Mal d 1 as model food allergen because (i) its cross-reactivity with Bet v 1 has been well characterized,(ii) apple is the most frequent trigger for BPRFA and (iii) recombinant(r)Mal d 1 was well tolerated after sublingual administration to 20 birch pollen-allergic patients in a previous study. Sublingual administration of a defined concentration of GMP-rMal d 1 will be compared with equal doses of GMP-rBet v 1 as a positive control and placebo-treatment. Clinical parameters will include skin prick tests (SPT) and objective and subjective assessment of apple and birch pollen-induced allergic symptoms. Immunological parameters will comprise the analysis of antibody and T cell responses to Mal d 1 and Bet v 1 as well as the evaluation of basophil activation.
The proposed pilot study will be a first investigation of the concept to specifically treat BPRFA with the involved food allergens and thus, represents an important step in the development of an efficient and safe therapy in the future.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 60
- otherwise healthy persons between 18 und 50 years of age;
- positive history of rhinoconjunctivitis to birch pollen
- oral allergy syndrome(OAS) to apple
- positive skin prick test (SPT) reaction to birch pollen and apple
- specific IgE for Bet v 1 and Mal d 1
- Exclusion criteria
- Persons who due to their physical or mental state are not able to provide informed consent.
- Persons with underlying illnesses such as severe cardiopulmonary, malignant and/or autoimmune diseases
- Persons suffering from Hyper-IgE syndrome
- Persons receiving SIT during the past 5 years
- persons suffering from severe allergic reactions to apple such as generalized urticaria, asthma and/or anaphylaxis
- persons suffering from severe bronchial asthma to birch pollen
- persons suffering from pathological alterations of the lips and oral mucosa
- persons who are prescribed a treatment with immune-suppressive drugs, anti-histamines, leukotriene-antagonists or psychotropic drugs with anti-histaminic effects
- persons using ß-blockers
- Pregnant woman
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description treatment with rMal d 1 rMal d 1 these apple and birch pollen allergic patients are treated with daily sublingual application of 25µg recombinant Major apple allergen, Mal d 1 during 4 months treatment with rBet v 1 rBet v 1 These apple and birch pollen allergic patients are treated with daily sublingual application of 25µg recombinant Major birch pollen allergen,Bet v 1 during 4 months treatment with placebo drops placebo drops These apple and birch pollen allergic patients are treated daily with placebo applied sublingually during 4 months
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method allergen concentration to induce allergic reactions in the oral cavity as a measure of efficacy (oral provocation test) 1 year To measure the clinical effects on apple-induced OAS, open food challenges (OFC) with every 30 minutes increasing doses of GMP-rMal d 1 will be performed before and after the treatment period.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method T cell proliferation and cytokine production as a measure of tolerance induction 1 year PBMC isolated from heparinised blood before, during and after sublingual administration of the treatment will be stimulated with titrated concentrations of rMal d 1 and rBet v 1, respectively. Proliferative and cytokine responses will be determined.
allergen specific antibody response 1 measurement of IgE, IgG and IgA antibodies specific for Bet v 1 and Mal d 1
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Medical University of Vienna
🇦🇹Vienna, Austria