For example, Xolair, injected monthly, soaks up IgE like a sponge, ensuring that it cannot dock on mast-cell receptors and trigger an allergic reaction.

Methods and Results - We show here that episodes of systemic mast cell activation during plaque progression in mice leads to robust plaque expansion.

Importantly, treatment with the mast cell stabilizer cromolyn does prevent all the adverse phenomena elicited by mast cell activation.