DNA immunotherapeutics: new potential treatment modalities for allergic disease.
Genetic immunization is a relatively new approach to vaccination, one that has generated considerable interest for its potential to prevent or treat a number of types of disease processes. Although initial work focused on potential applications in infectious disease, it was soon recognized that the antigen-specific Th1 response typically generated by genetic immunization protocols could also be useful for the treatment of allergic disease. In this review we present a summary of genetic vaccination and the related topic of immunostimulatory DNA sequences - which we collectively designate DNA immunotherapeutics - and discuss their potential for the prevention and therapy of allergic disease.
Goodman
J S
JS
Department of Medicine and Stein Institute for Research on Aging, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla 92093-0663, USA.
Van Uden
J H
JH
Kobayashi
H
H
Broide
D
D
Raz
E
E
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000628:therapy*; D007167:Immunotherapy; D011657:Pulmonary Eosinophilia / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000941:Antigens; D019444:Vaccines, DNA