Current State of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Allergic Diseases

Allergic disease is one of the most common chronic diseases, which can affect both children and adults, be often caused by allergen-induced unfavorable immune responses, and initiate various symptoms in different organs, including up-/low-airways and skin, such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, and rhinosinusitis. With increasing prevalence of allergic disease worldwide and their impact on the quality of life, new biological therapeutic approaches for these disorders become hot areas of intensive research. Multiple factors are involved and play important role in the pathogenesis of allergic disease, which can promote or trigger T helper 2 (Th2)-type immune responses, leading to production of the type 2 cytokines and immunoglobulin E (IgE)，the two critical events in the allergic diseases. Using monoclonal antibodies to target these molecules, therefore, might provide possible benefits for the patients suffered from these diseases. Apart of those having approved biologics for allergic diseases, some potential targets such as epithelial-derived alarmins thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and interleukin 33 (IL-33) have been also described and proposed to develop monoclonal antibodies against either these cytokines, their receptors, or both. These new and potential targets have substantially enriched the therapeutic opportunities in the field of allergic diseases. The present review aims to briefly outline the role of monoclonal antibodies targeting the cytokines and immunoglobulin involved in the development of allergic diseases, and to discuss the clinical effects of these antibodies.