Changes in basophil activation during grass‐pollen sublingual immunotherapy do not correlate with clinical efficacy

To cite this article: Van Overtvelt L, Baron‐Bodo V, Horiot S, Moussu H, Ricarte C, Horak F, Zieglmayer P, Zieglmayer R, Montagut A, Galvain S, de Beaumont O, Le Gall M, Moingeon P. Changes in basophil activation during grass‐pollen sublingual immunotherapy do not correlate with clinical efficacy. Allergy 2011; 66: 1530–1537. Background: Biomarkers predicting the safety and efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) remain to be established. Methods: Eighty‐nine patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis to grass pollen received either a placebo or five‐grass‐pollen daily tablet sublingually for 4 months. Following exposure in an allergen challenge chamber, clinical responders and nonresponders were identified individually by evaluating their rhinoconjunctivitis total symptom score (RTSS). Activation of peripheral blood basophils was measured by cytofluorometry before and after 2 or 4 months of immunotherapy, based on CD203c surface expression following allergen stimulation. Results: Patients receiving the grass‐pollen tablet had a relative mean improvement of 29.3%vs placebo in the average RTSS after 4 months of SLIT (P