Allergies and asthma are immune mediated diseases that occur when the body’s immune system overreacts to a foreign substance (an allergen), such as pollen, animal dander, foods or medications, that in most people is generally harmless. 

People react to the proteins in these allergens with an antibody made by specialized immune cells that release chemicals which cause sneezing, itching in the nose, eyes and ears, and in rare cases the life-threatening reaction anaphylaxis. Asthma is often triggered by these types of allergic reactions. Allergies can range from mild to severe. For some people they can compromise quality of life and even be life-threatening. 

More than 25 percent of Americans suffer from allergies and asthma, with allergies affecting more than 50 million and asthma affecting approximately 25 million.

Allergen specific immunotherapy (allergy vaccine therapy) remains the primary treatment for certain types of allergies. In this therapy, patients are vaccinated with increasing doses of allergens with the goal of improving the body’s immune tolerance to the substance. However, these current therapies require months to years of treatment and in some cases may also cause life-threatening symptoms such as low blood pressure and anaphylactic shock.