Nanomaterials for Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment: Advances, Opportunities and Translational Challenges

ABSTRACT

Allergic disorders, including food allergy, asthma, and atopic dermatitis, affect an estimated 10–30% of the global population, with prevalence continuing to rise in industrialized countries. Allergy is driven by dysregulated type 2 T‐helper cells (Th2) and immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody responses. A range of diagnostic tools is available, but most methods are limited by variable sensitivity and specificity, and the inability to predict clinical reactivity. Although allergen‐specific immunotherapy (AIT) remains the only etiological therapeutic method for allergic disorders, conventional AITs are limited by frequent administration, risk of adverse events, suboptimal patient adherence, and inconsistent long‐term efficacy. Advances in nanotechnology offer emerging opportunities for improving allergy diagnosis and treatment through enhanced analytical sensitivity, targeted allergen delivery and controlled immune modulation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research on nanomaterials, including their application in nanomaterials‐based diagnostic systems and nano‐enabled immunotherapies. We highlight their roles in improving allergen‐specific IgE detection, refining functional cellular assays, and enabling next‐generation immunotherapies through controlled allergen delivery and immunomodulation. We also critically examine key translational barriers and outline essential future directions required for translating nanotechnologies into clinical practice in allergy medicine.