It is also a field in which Europe is recognised as a leader worldwide. Research in the field of allergen immunotherapy is extremely difficult, basically because the effects of the treatment check details are measurable only after

a relatively long period of time, usually after one year, achieving an optimal effect after three to five years. This fact hampers the possibility of undertaking large independent trials, which need a substantial economic investment. Until now, most of these trials have been conducted by allergen manufacturers. In this regard, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is actively working to increase the knowledge of this situation among relevant stakeholders in order to promote policies to support Selleck RGFP966 the knowledge and use of allergen immunotherapy and to prioritise funding of research in the field. One of the initiatives that have been undertaken is the development of the European Declaration on Immunotherapy. This document, signed by EAACI, GA2LEN and the European Federation of Allergy and Airway Diseases Patients Association (EFA), and with the support of most of the National Allergy Societies, was published

in June 2011 and is available at www.eaaci.net. The aim of this document is to illustrate the current status of the allergic epidemic in Europe, to highlight the impact of such diseases on patients’ health and overall quality of life, to provide data regarding the socioeconomic impact for society and to raise the question of awareness among the relevant governing bodies and the need to undertake proactive initiatives to fight allergies. The European Declaration on Immunotherapy has been forwarded to members of the European Parliament, and also to politicians at a

national level, in order to synergise actions in the field. Along these lines, EAACI, together with GA2LEN and EFA, would like to call upon Europe’s policy-makers to coordinate actions and improve individual and public health in allergy by: (i) Promoting immunotherapy awareness We believe that this European Declaration Allergy Immunotherapy is one of the first steps to achieving these aims. “
“Control of tryptophan metabolism by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in dendritic cells (DCs) is a highly versatile regulator of innate and adaptive immune responses. In acute reactions, Neratinib mouse the otherwise inflammatory cytokine interferon γ (IFN-γ) acts in a feedback fashion to induce IDO’s enzymatic function — and thus prevent potentially harmful, exaggerated responses — through the combined effects of tryptophan starvation and tryptophan catabolites acting via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor of T cells. IDO, however, is also involved in the maintenance of stable tolerance to self in noninflammatory contexts, thus restraining autoimmunity. Exposure, indeed, of mouse plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) to transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) provides IDO with regulatory effects that are distinct, in nature, from its enzymic activity.