Induced Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells as Modulators of Allergic Asthma

Despite advances in medications, allergic diseases, including allergic asthma continue to rise in prevalence. For this reason, there is a need for a better understanding of the mechanisms of allergic diseases and novel insights into modulating allergic inflammation. The investigators hypothesize that much remains to be learned about the behavior of T effector and T regulatory cells in allergic disease. Furthermore, the investigators hypothesize that novel mechanisms of allergic tolerance may exist, and elucidation of these mechanisms may provide insights into novel therapeutic strategies to control allergic diseases. The investigators will investigate the capacity for T cell tolerance induction in allergic subjects by a novel type of immune tolerizing dendritic cell (it-DC). The investigators will assess whether in vitro generated it-DCs have the capacity to induce antigen-specific T regulatory cells and suppress allergen-specific T effector cell function in vitro. Standardized Cat Allergen extract and Dust Mite Allergens will be used to generate changes in the airways that occur during exposure to allergen. For this investigation, the route of administration will be topical application of the titrated allergen to a bronchoscopically isolated subsegment of one lobe of one lung. The dose of biologic will be determined from prior skin-prick testing.