The DBV Technologies internet site will be of interest to anyone who is looking for alternatives to classic ways of treating and diagnosing allergies. Epicutaneous immunotherapy is the practice of desensitizing the human body to certain allergens in ways that do not break the skin barrier in the manner that an injection does, to give one example. At http://www.dbv-technologies.com/en/epitthere is an introduction to this technique, which has taken the shape of a patch that’s applied to the skin. Although this may sound simple, the method developed on DBV-Technologies’ premises in France (see below), is actually highly-sophisticated. Its success depends upon an even coating of
Source: http://www.dbv-technologies.com
allergens sprayed upon the patch backing by an electrospray, the creation of a ‘condensation chamber’ with the skin, and the presence of highly-tolerogenic cells, the Langerhans cells, just below the surface of the skin. The patch would offer an especially attractive option for treating children, as it is pain-free and easy to apply. It can be adapted to treat a number of different allergies, and DBV-Technologies is currently working on several different versions for food allergies.
