POLLEN LOW DOSE INTRADERMAL THERAPY EVALUATION IN ALLERGIC RHINITIS

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A Randomised, Double-blind, Single-centre, Controlled Trial of Low Dose Intradermal Allergen Immunotherapy in Adults with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

• IRAS ID

  107277

• Contact name

  Stephen Till

• Sponsor organisation

  King's College London

• Eudract number

  2012-002193-31

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Research summary

  We are applying for approval for a MRC/NIHR-funded clinical trial of a new vaccine treatment for hay fever, which affects 1 in 4 people in the UK. Injection of small quantities of grass pollen high up in the skin (in an area called the dermis) provokes a local allergic response, visible as a lump lasting a day or two. When these injections are repeated every 2 weeks, a dramatic reduction is seen in the size of this lump, suggesting that the allergic reactions are being switched off. Our aim is now to test if this also switches off grass allergy in the nose and improves hay feverisymptoms. A clinical trial will be performed at Guy's Hospital in 2013, with 90 hay fever sufferers divided into 2 groups to receive between 7 and 8 injections of grass pollen into the dermis, or similar dummy injections, before the grass pollenoseason. In the summer, Participants will score their symptoms and how much hay fever medication they need. We will then compare these scoris in the 2 groups. We will also perform experiments to see how this -vaccine- might work: we take blood samples at the beginning and end of the study for experiments. Also, we will collect a small sample of skin, but only from 40 of the Participants selected at random, although they will free to decline this. We will also perform tests to examine if the effect of the vaccine is long lasting. We believe that these injections are safe, although we will observe all Participants for 1 hour after the first injection and for 30 minutes after subsequent injections. This study also has the potential to define a new scientific and clinical principle that could also be applied to other allergic diseases e.g. asthma and food allergies.

• REC name

  London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  12/LO/0941

• Date of REC Opinion

  25 Jul 2012

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion