Mapping the Immune Response After Nasal Allergen Challenge: New Insights from the Vienna Airway Lab

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new study from our group in the journal Allergy:

Kinetics of Antibody Responses and Effector Cell Sensitivity After High Dose Birch Extract Nasal Challenge (Campion NJ et al., Allergy, 2026. DOI: 10.1111/all.70365)

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, birch pollen-allergic adults received nasal allergen challenges outside the pollen season. Using a dense sampling protocol — tracking antibody levels in blood and nasal fluid alongside basophil and mast cell reactivity — the study mapped the precise sequence and timing of the immune response following nasal allergen exposure.

Key findings include a sequential rise in allergen-specific IgE, appearing first in serum and subsequently in nasal mucosal fluid, mirrored by IgG responses. Basophil sensitivity peaked around four weeks post-challenge, with mast cell reactivity following at approximately eight weeks. Interestingly, subjects who received the allergen challenge showed a blunted IgE rise and reduced effector cell sensitivity during the subsequent pollen season.

These findings deepen our understanding of how the upper airway immune system responds to allergen exposure and have direct implications for the design and timing of allergen immunotherapy and nasal challenge models.

This work is the result of a close collaboration across the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, the Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, the Department of Laboratory Medicine, and the Center for Medical Statistics at MedUni Vienna. Our congratulations go to lead author Nick Campion, currently completing a clinical fellowship in Sydney — a true clinician-scientist.

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