ALLERGENS AND ALLERGOGENES - MOLECULAR-BIOLOGY OF ALLERGY

As in other areas of medicine, the methods of molecular biology are in creasingly gaining practical relevance also in allergology. In this fi eld, the interplay between environment and genetics is particularly ob vious. While on one hand recombinant allergens are increasingly import ant for diagnosis and therapy, the same is about to happen with the ge nes that predispose an individual to allergic reactions. These polymor phic genes are here designated as ''AllergoGenes'' in analogy to the O ncogenes known from tumor biology. Research on AllergoGenes - that is, the genetic factors which favour development of clinically relevant a llergy in conjunction with environmental allergens, is progressing at a fast pace and gives hope for early, even presymptomatic diagnosis, m ore effective prophylaxis and therapy of allergic disorders.