Immunotherapies for food allergy: Exploring new targets and innovative strategies for enhanced efficacy

Abstract

Food allergy is a growing public health concern. It affects children and adults, resulting in significant declines in the overall quality of life. In most cases, individuals must avoid consuming allergenic foods, which can be challenging, especially for patients who experience life-threatening symptoms even with minimal exposure to allergens. This review aimed to identify promising targets for immunotherapy in food allergy, strategies to reduce adverse reactions and side effects, optimal dosing approaches, clinical endpoints to measure efficacy, patient subgroups that benefit, and barriers to implementing immunotherapy. An in-depth literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar to look into novel approaches and possible targets for enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Targeting specific immune cells and molecules (e.g., IgE and Tregs), lowering the doses of allergens, extending intervals between doses, personalising dosing, selecting eligible patients carefully, and validating clinical endpoints have shown promising results in overcoming food allergy challenges and increasing immunotherapy efficacy. Potential innovative strategies to enhance immunotherapy efficacy encompass developing more cost-effective approaches, increasing access to trained specialists, developing standardised protocols, and collecting long-term data.