Aims & Scope
International Journal of Allergy (IJA) publishes mechanistic research on immune system responses underlying allergic hypersensitivity, focusing on cellular signaling, antibody function, and immunological pathways rather than clinical diagnosis or treatment protocols.
Core Research Domains
Immune Cell Biology
- Mast cell degranulation mechanisms and mediator release
- Eosinophil activation pathways and effector functions
- Basophil signaling cascades in allergic responses
- T cell differentiation (Th2, Treg) in hypersensitivity
- B cell class switching to IgE production
- Natural killer cell interactions in allergic inflammation
"Molecular characterization of FcεRI signaling in mast cells during IgE-mediated degranulation: Role of Syk kinase phosphorylation"
Hypersensitivity Mechanisms
- Type I hypersensitivity: IgE-mediated immediate reactions
- Type II hypersensitivity: Antibody-dependent cytotoxicity
- Type III hypersensitivity: Immune complex deposition
- Type IV hypersensitivity: T cell-mediated delayed responses
- Cross-reactivity patterns in allergen recognition
- Epitope mapping and structural immunology
"Structural basis for cross-reactivity between birch pollen Bet v 1 and food allergens: Computational modeling of IgE binding sites"
Immunological Signaling
- Cytokine networks (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-33) in allergic inflammation
- Chemokine receptor signaling in immune cell recruitment
- Toll-like receptor (TLR) modulation of allergic responses
- JAK-STAT pathway activation in Th2 polarization
- NF-κB signaling in inflammatory mediator production
- MAPK cascades in allergic cell activation
"IL-33/ST2 axis regulation of eosinophil survival and activation: Downstream MAPK signaling analysis in allergic airway models"
Antibody & Immunoglobulin Biology
- IgE structure-function relationships and receptor binding
- IgG subclass responses in allergen exposure
- Antibody affinity maturation in allergic sensitization
- Fc receptor (FcεRI, FcγR) signaling mechanisms
- Monoclonal antibody development for mechanistic studies
- Immunoglobulin glycosylation effects on function
"High-affinity IgE binding to Der p 1: Kinetic analysis and structural determinants of allergen-antibody interactions"
Secondary Focus Areas
Allergen Biochemistry
- Protein structure and allergenic epitopes
- Post-translational modifications affecting allergenicity
- Allergen stability and processing pathways
- Molecular mimicry and cross-reactive determinants
Immunological Models
- In vitro cell culture systems for hypersensitivity
- Animal models of allergic inflammation (mechanistic focus)
- Organoid and tissue engineering approaches
- Computational immunology and systems biology
Biomarker Discovery
- Immune cell surface markers in allergic states
- Serum cytokine and chemokine profiles
- Transcriptomic signatures of allergic responses
- Proteomic analysis of allergic inflammation
Immunogenetics
- HLA associations with hypersensitivity phenotypes
- Genetic polymorphisms in immune receptors
- Epigenetic regulation of allergic genes
- Gene expression profiling in allergic conditions
Emerging Research Frontiers
Explicit Exclusions
Out of Scope Topics
Rationale: Skin prick testing, serum IgE measurements, diagnostic algorithms, and clinical assessment tools focus on patient care rather than immune mechanisms. Studies describing diagnostic accuracy or test validation are not within scope.
Rationale: Immunotherapy administration, medication dosing, treatment guidelines, and clinical management strategies are clinical practice topics. Studies evaluating treatment efficacy without mechanistic investigation are excluded.
Rationale: Case reports, clinical series, patient registries, and outcome studies focus on medical practice rather than immunological mechanisms. Observational clinical studies without mechanistic analysis are not considered.
Rationale: Prevalence studies, risk factor analyses, and population health surveys describe disease patterns but do not investigate immune mechanisms. Purely epidemiological work without immunological investigation is excluded.
Rationale: Respiratory diseases (pneumonia, tuberculosis, COPD, lung cancer), autoimmune conditions (lupus, psoriasis), and infectious diseases without allergic/hypersensitivity immune components fall outside journal scope. Focus must be on allergic immune mechanisms.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Expedited Review (14-21 days to first decision)
Regular Review (28-35 days to first decision)
Selective Acceptance (requires exceptional scientific merit)
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
All submissions must adhere to discipline-specific reporting standards:
- ARRIVE 2.0: Animal research in immunology
- MIQE: Quantitative PCR and gene expression
- MIFlowCyt: Flow cytometry experiments
- MIAME: Microarray and transcriptomics data
Data Transparency
Open science practices required for all accepted manuscripts:
- Raw data deposition in public repositories
- Code availability for computational analyses
- Antibody validation and reagent details
- Complete statistical reporting
Ethics & Compliance
Mandatory ethical approvals and declarations:
- Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval
- Institutional Review Board (IRB) for human samples
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Funding source transparency
Preprint Policy
We support open science and preprint sharing:
- Preprints allowed on bioRxiv, medRxiv, arXiv
- No impact on editorial consideration
- Must be disclosed during submission
- Preprint DOI included in final publication
Publication Metrics & Performance
Ready to Submit Your Research?
If your work investigates immune mechanisms underlying allergic hypersensitivity through rigorous experimental or computational approaches, we invite you to submit to International Journal of Allergy.
Submit ManuscriptQuestions about scope? If you are uncertain whether your manuscript fits within our aims and scope, we encourage you to contact the editorial office at [email protected] with a brief abstract and title. Our editors will provide guidance within 48 hours to help you make an informed submission decision.
