The second EAACI-GA²LEN Winter School, organised by EAACI Immunotherapy Interest Group and the Finnish Society of Allergology and Immunology, took place at a very nice Finnish village Saariselka. More than 80 people from 22 different countries and 30 EAACI junior members were present.

First day started with the short opening talk given by the EAACI Vice-President Education & Specialty, Luis Delgado. The session was devoted to the epidemiology and environmental factors of allergic diseases. The lecturers were Lars Jacobsen, Adnan Custovic, Maritta Kilpelainen and Erkka Valovirta. Hot topics of the session included the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of allergic rhinitis, prevalence of positive allergy skin-prick test, allergy and European children, Swiss study on childhood allergy and respiratory symptoms, allergy in a cohort of Danish adults, co-morbidity of hay fever and asthma in adults, environmental model of allergy and asthma, understanding asthma through genetics influence of obesity, insulin and sex hormones of female in asthmatic patients, hormone replaced therapy in asthma, smoking and asthma. The evening continued with the Get-Together Party and a Finnish buffet dinner in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Second day’s lectures were on basic immunology and antigen characterisation, identification of patients suitable for allergen specific immunotherapy and SOTI, allergens, tolerance and specific immunotherapy. Talks were given by Lars K. Poulsen, Risto Renkonen, Lars Jacobsen, Stefan Vieths, Oliver Cromwell. Discussed topics included acute asthma, acute and late-reaction in allergen induced asthma, inflammatory cell response during allergen-specific immunotherapy, allergic immune response and inflammation, basophiles as antigen presenting cells, observations on immunological changes during immunotherapy, specific antibody response during grass immunotherapy, system biology in medicine, pollen allergens, sources of airborne exposures, standardisation of allergen products, control and regulations, guidelines for SIT, regulations of recombinant allergens, clinical trials, approval process past/present, clinical, physical and chemical modification of allergens, dose dependence of clinical efficacy, preparation of an allergoid, allergen specific immunotherapy with hypoallergenic preparation, hypoallergenic allergy vaccines, advances and possible disadvantages of recombinant DNA technology, immunotherapy with recombinant allergens.

After a short outdoor activities’ break the session continued with the talks from Elina Toskala, Maritta Kilpelainen, Hans-Jorgen Malling, Mikael Kuitunen, Harri Alenius and Johannes Savolainen on diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, ARIA guidelines, recommendations for management of allergic rhinitis, indications for specific immunotherapy in allergic asthma, contraindications for asthma, SCIT and SLIT in asthma, clinical efficacy of immunotherapy, management of allergic asthma, allergen entry and sensitization, the role of Foxp3+ regulating T-cells in experimental atopic dermatitis, elements of allergen specific tolerance, T reg responses in atopics and healthy, SCIT with aeroallergens. The dinner took place in an exotic Lapland restaurant.

The lectures of the third day were on immunotherapy in allergic diseases for 100 years. There were interactive sessions during which participants were divided into groups to discuss different cases and share ideas. The session was lead by Hans-Jorgen Malling (discussing allergic patients), Antti Lauerma (insect allergy), Moises Calderon (recommendations for management of allergic rhinitis; ARIA guidelines), Mikael Kuitunen (SOTI for children with food allergy), Maritta Paasilta (allergic children) and Erkka Valovirta (allergen specific immunotherapy in children).

In the afternoon there was a poster session and a high-standard presentations from the selected participants. During the presentations young participants had a great opportunity to discuss their results, share their ideas and get lots of useful information on how to perform immunotherapy.

The scientific programme ended with the talks of Moises Calderon, Lars Jacobsen and Erkka Valovirta. Discussed topics were the practical issues during immunotherapy, predictors of severe systemic anaphylaxis in hymenoptera venom allergy, adverse events of immunotherapy, duration and resolution, post-marketing surveillance, possible risk factors for anaphylaxis due to SLIT, history of allergy and immunotherapy. 

In addition to the high quality scientific programme, there were plenty opportunities for winter sports. To summarise the impressions of the participants and lecturers I would conclude that the EAACI Winter School in Saariselka was very successful. The organisers of the school have done a great job. On behalf of all participants I would like to thank GA2LEN and EAACI for their financial support, which made it feasible for junior applicants to attend this event. Moreover, I would like to thank the Local Organising Committee for their excellent organisation, which turned this school into a great success.

Lilit Hovhannisyan
Official Representative of EAACI Dermatology Section,
Junior Members and Affiliates Working Group,
Institute of Molecular Biology of Armenian National Academy of Sciences.