``Immune Checkpoint Activators'' to treat allergies?

``Immune checkpoint inhibitors'' have opened a new era in cancer immunotherapy. The dramatic therapeutic efficacy of such molecules against cancers with poor prognosis demonstrate the efficacy of the regulatory mechanisms that they inhibit. Similar mechanisms control the activation of effector cells involved in allergy. One can therefore propose that stimulating these mechanisms would inhibit allergic reactions. Prototypic bispecific molecules have already been engineered, which provided a proof of concept supporting the idea that ``immune checkpoint activators'' might be used to treat allergies. The regulatory mechanisms used by such molecules are indeed fully functional in basophils from allergic patients. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved