Immunotherapy of aspergillosis

• Author(s): Carvalho, Agostinho ; Cunha, Cristina ; Bistoni, Francesco ; Romani, Luigina
• Date: 2012
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/23815
• Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
• Subject(s): Aspergillosis; Immunotherapy; Single-nucleotide polymorphism
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

We thank C. M. Benedetti for digital art and editing. Management of invasive aspergillosis in high-risk patients remains challenging. There is an increasing demand for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing or restoring antifungal immunity in immunocompromised patients. In this regard, modulation of specific innate immune functions and vaccination are promising immunotherapeutic strategies. Recent findings have also provided a compelling rationale for assessment of the contribution of the individual genetic profile to the immunotherapy outcome. Altogether, integration of immunological and genetic data may contribute to the optimization of therapeutic strategies exerting control over immune pathways, ultimately improving the management of fungal infections in high-risk settings.