Comments on: Developments

By: tungtide

tungtide — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:36:09 +0000

Allergies themselves are usually a response by Mast Cells undergoing a process called degranulation. This releases a number of signaling molecules including histamine. The reason an antihistamine works to combat allergies is because of the negation of these effects.

Mast cell degranulation is mediated by IgE (immunoglobulin E, one of the five types of antibodies) that is present on the surface. So, the process of allergy is again one of the adaptive immune system creating antibodies to a foreign agent that isn’t really a threat.

There isn’t an easy “cure” to something like allergies. Plenty of research (especially in the pharmaceutical industry) is aimed at counteracting the symptoms and doing so with fewer side effects and less time before the onset of the drug’s effect.

I don’t know of any research that would be able to provide a cure. Immunology is not a specialty of mine so we are reaching the limit of what I’m capable of answering without additional research.

This is just postulating on my part now, but if there were a way to remove the B-cells that produce the specific IgE causing the allergic response in the first place, it would significantly diminish the ability of the body to respond to the allergen. I don’t know an easy way to do that, at least not one without serious risks of harming other cell populations.

By: Janelle

Janelle — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:59:48 +0000

Based on your reponse, can I safely say at this point there isn’t a way to “cure” allergies or any promising research being done in that area?

By: tungtide

tungtide — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:38:02 +0000

We know quite a lot about the cells and signaling pathways in the immune system. However, there are still new discoveries being made. The Th17 cell was a relatively new find, and I can’t remember what it does. Add into that the plethora of signaling molecules and their various functions, and there’s still lots of work to be done.

If two people battle the same infection they will not necessarily make the same antibodies or have the same variable receptors on their T-cells, despite both of them being able to fight the infection effectively. As far as I know (and I can’t say with certainty) allergies to drugs come about when the immune system “sees” the drug as a foreign agent. Because of the inherent variation in the immune system response, one person’s response to an infection can also accidentally create a response to the drug. If the molecular shape of the drug is similar to the antigen (the site used to identify the infection) the immune system will respond to both the drug and the infection.

If you have areas you would like clarified please let me know and I’ll try to explain them in a different way.

By: Janelle

Janelle — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:56:16 +0000

I’d say I understood about 70% of that. :O) The last two sentences make perfect sense, however.

So…let’s say Person C has an allergic reaction to the SMA drug. Has our increased understanding of the “complexity in the interactions of cellular machinery” enabled us to figure out what causes an allergic reaction in one person and not another?