Recombinant Allergens – Production Methods and Use in Molecular Diagnosis and Allergen Immunotherapy

Although allergen extracts show some disadvantages, they are widely used both for in vivo diagnosis and for allergen immunotherapy. One way to overcome allergen extracts’ limitations is to use recombinant allergens. Selection of an appropriate expression system is dependent on the characteristics and intended application of the recombinant protein. The prokaryotic expression system is suitable for allergens that do not require post-translational modifications; however, there are allergens that need to be expressed in eukaryotic cells in order to acquire their biological activity. The use of these recombinant proteins ensures an increased specificity and sensitivity of the diagnosis and safer and more effective immunotherapy.