Biochemical controls: managing allergy (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, February 08, 2024, 20:34 (80 days ago) @ David Turell

B cells produce an immunoglobulin IGE for allergy:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240207195046.htm

"'We found allergic people had this memory B cell against their allergen, but non-allergic people had very few, if any."

'B cells are a type of immune cell that makes antibodies. These cells help fight off infections but can also cause allergies.

"'Let's say you're allergic to peanuts. Your immune system, because of MBC2, remembers that you're allergic to peanuts, and when you encounter them again, it creates more of the antibodies that make you allergic," Koenig says.

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"Using cutting-edge technology such as single cell transcriptomics and deep sequencing of antibody gene repertoires on clinical trial samples, they were able to make direct connections between MBC2 and IgE, the type of antibody that triggers the allergic reaction.

"This provided necessary context ultimately revealing the MBC2 as the home of allergy.

"'Even though allergies are the most prevalent disease worldwide, it is still not fully understood how allergy occurs and evolves into a life-long condition. Finding the cells that hold IgE memory is a key step forward and a game-changer in our understanding of what causes allergy and how treatment, such as allergy immunotherapy, can modify the disease," says Peter Sejer Andersen, senior vice-president and head of research at ALK.

"The discovery of MBC2 gives scientists and researchers a new target in treating allergies and could lead to new therapeutics."

Comment: allergies are basically a mistake event. If peanuts are introduced early enough, there is no allergy. On the other hand, it is obvious that some folks are very prone to allergies and others are not. It is all in the genes. If we could treat the DNA rather than B cells, it could have better results.