Professor Edzard Spillner, Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University

During the last decades, molecular technologies have changed diagnostic and therapeutic concepts in many disease areas, i.a. in allergic diseases.  In this talk I will give an overview of our approaches to address and circumvent current limitations in the field. 

Allergic diseases are affecting the lives of more than one billion people worldwide, and their prevalence is expected to reach up to 4 billion in 2050. The prevalence and the socioeconomic impact are particularly on the rise in urbanizing regions and a globalizing world. The most severe form of an allergic reaction, anaphylaxis, is commonly elicited insect venoms and food. In the presentation I will provide an overview of our functional and structural understanding of key players and triggers and present our approaches for inhibiting selected targets. A main concept relies on the generation of bi- and multi-specific nanobody-based biologics enabling precise as well as global inhibition of anaphylaxis and provides new handles for improved treatment of disease. 

Novel drugs, treatment modalities and delivery concepts could help to overcome economic challenges as well as clinical needs in and beyond allergic diseases. 

References 

• Jabs et al., Nat Commun. 2018 9(1):7. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02312-7.
• Jensen et al., Allergy. 2025 doi: 10.1111/all.70132.
• Aagaard et al., Nat Commun 2026, accepted manuscript
• Plum et al., Allergy. 2023 78(1):121-130. doi: 10.1111/all.15417.