No abstract

SIT has been optimized for more than 100 years with different approaches. Among these, adjuvants have been shown to amplify the effect of SIT by modulating the immune response to this therapy. In the first part, this article reviews the immunological mechanisms underlying the use of adjuvants targeting key cells of the innate immune system such as dendritic cells. In the second part, it overviews first clinical trials which have been reported so far in both subcutaneous and sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy investigating the therapeutic potential of adjuvanted extracts. Most of these clinical trials revealed both clinical efficacy and immunological effects. However, more studies are warranted to further focus the specific role of adjuvants in the process of tolerance induction in allergic patients.