Lessons learned from allergen adsorption on engineered nanomaterials: bridging experimental insights and computational technologies

Allergic disease has increased over past decades, coinciding with the use of nanomaterials in medicine, industry, and environmental applications. This trend introduces new opportunities for human exposure to allergen-nanomaterial complexes through different routes like inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure. Such interactions have emerged as a determinant influencing immune response. Recent studies reveal that allergen adsorption onto nanomaterial surfaces varies with shape, particle size, surface chemistry, morphology, and agglomeration state. These surface interactions can modify allergen structure, epitope accessibility, and proteolytic stability, thereby reshaping the immune outcomes. Key considerations including dose, exposure route, and kinetics play an important role in determining physiological effects and pathological consequences. This special report provides a comprehensive overview of current research on allergen-nanomaterial interactions, summarizing known mechanisms, structural and immunological consequences, and critically assessing the challenges, gaps, and controversies. Understanding the impact of allergen-nanomaterial interactions on the human immune response demands a cross-disciplinary approach that integrates the complexities in nanotechnology and immunology. Advances in molecular toxicology employing new approach methodologies provide mechanistic insight which can support regulatory science and improve the acceptance of innovative therapeutic strategies in the field of nanomedicine. Allergen-nanomaterial interactions may serve as a model for best practice in this context.