Adenovirus-mediated Gene Therapy for Allergy

Allergy poses a heavy health burden in modern society. Other than symptom-relieving medications, the only available treatment approach is allergen-specific immunotherapy, which in spite of offering a potential cure, requires a long treatment duration with multiple doses of allergen administration and carries a risk of anaphylaxis. Gene therapy has shown advantages in experimental studies for treatment of tumors, genetic diseases, chronic infections, and allergy. To date, adenovirus has been the most extensively used gene transfer vector, and offers high efficiency and safety. Here, we review studies of adenovirus-mediated gene therapy targeting different steps in the development of allergic diseases. Adenovirus-mediated gene therapy might be a promising add-on therapy for allergy treatment.