Microneedle array patches for allergen- specific immunotherapy

The incidence of allergies has been steadily increasing in recent years. Allergen-specific immunother-apy (AIT) represents the only approach capable of inducing long-term immune tolerance toward allergens. However, the clinical success of AIT is limited by efficacy or safety concerns related to the administration route. Therapeutic delivery in the skin appears promising, given the presence of immune cells in the skin and the relatively low level of systemic distribution that occurs with this delivery method. However, the stratum corneum greatly limits this route. In this regard, the use of microneedles has been proposed to improve the delivery of therapeutics into the skin. In this review, we discuss recent developments in the use of microneedles for AIT, highlighting avenues for future research.

Automated summary

The incidence of allergies has been increasing recently. Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only approach that can induce long-term immune tolerance towards allergens. However, its clinical success is limited by efficacy and safety concerns related to the administration route. Microneedles have been proposed to improve therapeutic delivery into the skin, but the stratum corneum poses a challenge. This review discusses recent developments in the use of microneedles for AIT and suggests future research directions.