Understanding mechanisms of allergic symtpom loss with age

Allergy affects 25% of the population in industrialized countries and can lead to a variety from mild symptoms, such as hay fever, to life-threatening events such as allergic shock. So far, only allergen- immune therapy can influence the disease`s underlying mechanisms and can induce in part of treated patients a state of unresponsiveness to the culprit allergens, called tolerance. Interestingly, in some allergic patients symptoms also grow milder or stop with advanced age. This process is termed natural tolerance. Up to today, we understand little about the mechanisms underlying natural tolerance development with age. However, a deep understanding of these mechanisms could help us to develop novel therapeutic approaches aiming at mimicking natural tolerance induction. Therefore, in this project, we aim to study the immunological features, that may allow allergic patients a relief from symptoms as they age. To this aim we will include patients aged 60+ with the following characteristics in our study: Group 1 with ongoing respiratory allergy; Group 2 with former respiratory allergy but no current symptoms; Group 3- patients who never suffered from allergies in their life. Patients from all three groups will receive nasal allergen provocations and will undergo regular clinical examinations and nasal and blood sampling. We will use the obtained data to analyze the immune response of the individuals of these three different groups over time. Thereby we will gain important insights into immune cells and their mediators governing the allergic immune response and importantly the cessation of the allergic immune response with age.