“Molecular Shield” in the Nose Blocks Hay Fever Reactions

Each summer, millions battle hay fever symptoms triggered by pollen; however, a new study offers a possible shortcut to relief.

Researchers at the International Center for Vaccinology at Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) have developed a nasal antibody that blocks allergic reactions to mugwort pollen in mice.

Published in Frontiers in Immunology, the study shows that a single antibody, delivered intranasally, can reduce inflammation and preserve lung function without affecting systemic immunity.

Hay fever is on the rise

Around 40% of people in Europe have hay fever. Pollen allergies are so common they feel like a seasonal norm; however, the impact is anything but small. Each year, hay fever leads to the loss of an estimated 100 million school and workdays. Rates of hay fever have been rising for decades, and the pace of this increase can’t be pinned on genetics alone. Hygiene, antibiotics, diet, air pollution and climate change are all likely contributors.

One treatment option is allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT), where patients are slowly desensitized to the allergen through repeated exposure over years. It doesn’t work for everyone, and the time and effort involved limit its use.

Recently, monoclonal antibody treatments have emerged as an alternative. These treatments typically involve injections and aim to stop allergic reactions by blocking either the allergen or the allergic response itself. However, they don’t target the site where most allergies start – the nose.

Mugwort pollen is one of the main triggers of hay fever in Central Asia and large parts of Europe. Until now, no study had tested the idea of delivering an allergen-specific antibody straight into the nose.

Nasal antibody treatment reduced hay fever symptoms

To develop the treatment, the team first immunized mice with mugwort pollen extract, triggering the mice to produce antibodies against the allergen. They then harvested spleen cells and fused them with cancer cells to create hybridomas – cell lines that could produce monoclonal antibodies indefinitely.

Of the five hybridomas created, one stood out: clone XA19. It showed a strong ability to block IgE, the antibody that triggers allergic reactions, from binding to the mugwort allergen Art v 1 in both human and mouse samples.

The researchers then tested XA19 in a mouse model of hay fever and asthma. Mice were sensitized to mugwort pollen to mimic allergic responses. Some of the mice were treated with intranasal XA19 just before each of the three allergen exposures. The researchers compared these with a placebo group and a group that hadn’t been sensitized.

Treated mice showed fewer signs of allergy: less nose rubbing, reduced ear swelling and preserved lung function. Tissue samples from the nose and lungs showed less inflammation and levels of IL-4 and IL-5, cytokines involved in allergy and asthma, were lower.

Blood IgE levels didn’t change, suggesting the antibody worked locally, not systemically.

“Our method acts immediately and locally at the lining of the nose, by neutralizing the allergen on contact. This ‘molecular shield’ not only prevents IgE antibodies from being activated, but may also reduce inflammation through other mechanisms, such as calming immune cell responses and promoting regulatory pathways,” said senior author Dr. Kaissar Tabynov, the director of the International Center for Vaccinology at KazNARU.

Modeling studies showed that XA19 likely works by binding directly to a defensin-like domain on the Art v 1 protein, blocking the sites where IgE would normally attach.

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What this hay fever study means for future treatments

The results show that intranasal antibodies like XA19 could be a new way to treat hay fever – needle-free, fast-acting and tailored to a specific allergen. This is different from most current treatments, which are either systemic or rely on slowly building tolerance through months or years of exposure.

“This is the first time a monoclonal antibody designed to block a specific pollen allergen has been delivered directly into the nose and been shown to protect against allergy symptoms in the upper and lower airways,” said Tabynov.

However, the study used a small number of animals, only tested one dose and didn’t directly compare XA19 to standard immunotherapy. It was also not tested on humans.

Still, the results provide a strong proof-of-concept. “In the future, similar antibodies could be developed for other major pollen allergens, such as ragweed or grass,” said Tabynov. “This opens the door to a new generation of precision allergy treatments.”

“Before this treatment can be tested in people, we need to adapt the antibody to make it suitable for humans – a process called ‘humanization’ – and conduct additional preclinical safety and efficacy studies,” said Tabynov.

“If these are successful and provided we have adequate support, we could begin clinical trials in two to three years, though bringing it to market would likely take five to seven years. We are already planning for this transition and working on scaling up production.”

Reference: Tabynov K, Nedushenko I, Tailakova E, et al. Intranasal monoclonal antibodies to mugwort pollen reduce allergic inflammation in a mouse model of allergic rhinitis and asthma. Front Immunol. 2025;16, 2025. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1595659

This article is a rework of a press release issued by Frontiers. Material has been edited for length and content.