Detail

Keywords

Adaptive Immunity; Allergy and Immunology; Inflammation Mediators; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Pollen Allergy

Research group(s)

• Vienna Airway Lab
  Head: Sven Schneider
  Research Area: Type 2 inflammatory respiratory diseases, United Airway Disease, Chronic Rhinosinusitis, Respiratory Allergy
  Members:
  Julia Eckl-Dorna
  Christina Morgenstern

Research interests

Immunological mechanisms and novel therapeutic approaches in Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) with a special focus on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)-exacerbated respiratory disease (N-ERD).

In patients suffering from N-ERD, we recently proved that dupilumab does not only reduce polyp burden but also increases tolerance towards aspirin in N-ERD patients (Eur Respir J, 2023) and reduces allergic symptoms (Allergy, 2023). We are further investigating the role of the epithelium and the nasal microbiome in CRS as well as searching for biomarkers to predict therapeutic responses in a personalized medicine approach.

Sites and mechanisms of human IgE production

To investigate human IgE production, we established a model of nasal allergen provocation to mimic allergen exposure under controlled conditions (Allergy 2018) and - using this model - found that nasal IL-13 production identified patients with late-phase allergic responses (Allergy 2023). After observing that the majority of allergen-specific IgE in the blood was not derived from blood-born B cells (Clin Exp Allergy 2012), we now established an approach for clear identification of allergen-specific IgE cells (Front Immunol 2021) and for immune repertoire analysis by next generation sequencing. We currently use these techniques for investigating kinetics and major sites of IgE production.

Techniques, methods & infrastructure

• Controlled nasal allergen provocation
• Clinical studies and sampling of airways (e.g., brushing, swabs, nasosorptions)
• Next generation sequencing for Immunoglobulins
• Flow- and mass cytometry
• Confocal microscopy
• Microbiome analysis in collaboration with the Joint Microbiome Facility of the Medical University Vienna and the University of Vienna

Selected publications

1. Schneider, S. et al. (2022) ‘Dupilumab increases aspirin tolerance in NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease’, European Respiratory Journal, 61(3), p. 2201335. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01335-2022.
2. Bartosik, T.J. et al. (2023) ‘The nasal microbiome in patients suffering from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-exacerbated respiratory disease in absence of corticosteroids’, Frontiers in Immunology, 14. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1112345.
3. Campion, N.J. et al. (2023) ‘Dupilumab reduces symptom burden in allergic rhinitis and suppresses allergen‐specific <scp>IgE</scp> production’, Allergy, 78(6), pp. 1687–1691. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.15653.
4. Campion, N.J. et al. (2023) ‘Nasal IL-13 production identifies patients with late-phase allergic responses’, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 152(5), pp. 1167-1178.e12. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2023.06.026.
5. Zghaebi, M. et al. (2021) ‘Tracing Human IgE B Cell Antigen Receptor-Bearing Cells With a Monoclonal Anti-Human IgE Antibody That Specifically Recognizes Non-Receptor-Bound IgE’, Frontiers in Immunology, 12. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.803236.