Each year almost 200,000 people in the U.S. require emergency medical care for a serious allergic reaction. This number is expected to grow as food allergy incidence has increased by 50% in the last decade. Immunoglobulin E (IgE), the least abundant of all isotypes in humans, plays an important role. IgE antibodies protect against helminth infections but can also become misdirected toward otherwise harmless antigens (food allergens). This recognition of allergenic food proteins by IgE antibodies can lead to mild symptoms and sometimes fatal conditions. Modified antibodies and antibody fragments that compete with IgE for allergy binding and prevent the allergic response. In a recent article published in Science (Dec 14 2018), the researchers successfully isolated single IgE B cells from individuals with food allergies. Unique patterns of gene expression and splicing from those cells are elucidated by single-cell RNA sequencing. The study revealed an unexpected convergent evolution of IgE antibodies from unrelated individuals, together with how high-affinity and cross-reactivity of those IgE antibodies to clinical important peanut allergens. These findings provide insight on IgE B cell transcriptions and enable biochemical dissection of IgE, and one new approach to understanding and cure allergic diseases.

- Derek Croote, et al. Science 362, 1306-1309 (2018)

The Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Propionibacterium acnes CAMP Factor-Targeted Acne Vaccines (June 2018)

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• Both the significance of the findings and the need for continuing research were expressed in an accompanying commentary. "While addressing an unmet medical need and providing an appealing approach, acne immunotherapies that target P. acnes-derived factors have to be cautiously designed to avoid unwanted disturbance of the microbiome that guarantees skin homeostasis. Whether or not CAMP factor-targeted vaccines will impact multiple P. acnes subtypes and other commensals has to be determined, but acne immunotherapy presents an interesting avenue to explore nonetheless," wrote Emmanuel Contassot, PhD, Dermatology Department, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
• The choice of the antigen to be targeted is critical, not only as a determinant of the efficacy of the vaccine, but also to minimize possible unintended effects or cross-reactivity impairing the microbial equilibrium and skin barrier homeostasis. Future studies will address these factors and focus on engineering a non-toxic chemical or targeted vaccine formulation for its human application.
• The findings support P. acnes CAMP factor as a promising target for acne immunotherapy. This is an important observation since CAMP factor had not been previously implicated in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris. The study also provided a human acne model using acne biopsies, as there is not a fully satisfactory animal model for acne studies.