Anti-IgE therapy.

Controlling the IgE response at either the synthesis level or the effector phase should have a profound impact on the allergic cascade. For more than a decade, researchers have focused on ways of interfering with the binding of IgE to its high-affinity receptor on proinflammatory cells. Several approaches have also been taken to antagonize the complex interplay of cytokines and cell-associated molecules (CD40, CD23) that are implicated in IgE synthesis. Recently, anti-IgE antibodies have been developed that are potent IgE antagonists. These antibodies are currently under clinical investigation as potential therapeutics for allergic disease.