New DII Review Highlights the Immunological Sequence Underlying Food Allergies

• Department of Infection and Immunity
• Molecular and Translational Allergology

A new review published in Allergy, the highest-ranking journal in the field of allergy research, provides a comprehensive summary of the immunological events that occur during IgE-mediated allergic reactions.

The article is written by an international team of experts, including Dr Annette Kuehn, Co-Head of the Molecular & Translational Allergology Group in the Department of Infection & Immunity (DII) at the LIH and Prof Thomas Eiwegger, Group Leader of the Clinical Immunology group at Karl-Landsteiner University in Austria, who share last authorship. The review condenses current research on the cellular and molecular steps that occur when a food-allergic patient is exposed to food allergens. It emphasizes the coordinated roles of IgE, mast cells, basophils and downstream immune signalling cascades in driving inflammation and anaphylaxis.

This synthesis of immunological knowledge offers a valuable reference for researchers and clinicians focused on allergies, as it contextualizes key pathways that could be targeted in future diagnostics and interventions. The authors also discuss variability in individual immune responses and highlight gaps where further research is needed to translate mechanistic insights into improved patient care.

Dr Kuehn and Prof Eiwegger are close collaborators in the FNR-FWF WEAVE funded project IFAM, which targets the early immune mechanisms that trigger clinical food allergies. This project is funded by the FNR CORE program.