The new test eliminates the need for patients to consume allergens and offers quicker results.
Researchers from the University of Bern and Bern University Hospital have developed a new, effective method for diagnosing peanut allergies, which affect a large number of children and adults around the world, leading to severe and sometimes life-threatening reactions. Symptoms may include hives, swelling, itching, and digestive issues like nausea or vomiting. In the most severe cases, individuals can experience anaphylaxis, causing difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, and loss of consciousness, or the allergy can be fatal.
The diagnosis has long relied on inaccurate or flawed methods. The most common diagnostic procedure, the oral food challenge, involves patients eating small amounts of a suspected allergen under medical supervision. While this test is considered the gold standard for identifying allergies, it carries substantial risks due to the potential for severe allergic reactions. Other traditional methods, like skin prick tests and blood tests measuring immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, have proven to be less accurate, leading to misdiagnoses and unnecessary dietary restrictions or missed diagnosis, which can be dangerous.
In the current study, Bern researchers, led by Prof. Dr. Alexander Eggel and Prof. Dr. Thomas Kaufmann, designed a unique test that mimics allergic reactions outside of the body ,which would prove to be an effective method. The test involves a mast cell activation technique that can predict allergic reactions by using the patient’s blood serum, without exposing the patient to the allergen at all. The technology behind this test offers a safer, faster, and more reliable alternative to current options.
The mast cell activation test, also known as the Hoxb8 mast cell activation test (Hoxb8 MAT), is designed to replicate what happens inside the body during an allergic response. Allergic reactions occur when the body’s immune system mistakenly identifies a harmless substance, like peanut proteins, as a threat. The body then produces IgE antibodies, which bind to receptors on mast cells, a type of immune cell. When the food is eaten again, it binds to these sensitized mast cells, triggering a chain reaction resulting in allergy symptoms.
In the new test, mast cells are created in the lab and exposed to blood serum from patients suspected of having a peanut allergy. These mast cells bind to the IgE antibodies in the serum, mimicking the process that would normally take place in a person’s body. The cells are then exposed to peanut proteins to test their response. If the mast cells are triggered, this demonstrates an allergic reaction, allowing doctors to assess the severity of the allergy without putting the patient at risk.
The researchers tested the method on blood samples from 112 children and teens with known peanut allergies, in collaboration with Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Kids. The results, which were published in the European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, showed a diagnostic accuracy of 95%, which is considerably higher than traditional approaches, providing the test to be an effective method for testing. The test not only proved to be highly accurate but also efficient as samples were processed within just two days, making it much faster than many current tests.
The Hoxb8 MAT test also offered a number of other advantages. Blood serum, the key sample needed for this test, is easy to obtain and can be stored for long periods without breaking down and becoming unusable. This makes it simple for both physicians and patients compared to other tests that may require fresh tissue or more invasive procedures. Also, because the test allows patients to avoid direct exposure to allergens, it reduces the risk of severe allergic reactions, putting patients in harm’s way. The Hoxb8 MAT test is an important innovation that could not only simplify the diagnosis of peanut allergies and potentially other food allergies as well. However, further research is still needed to test the process on other foods.
Sources:
The global burden of illness of peanut allergy: A comprehensive literature review
Peanut allergy – Diagnosis and treatment
New test developed to simplify the diagnosis of allergies
Clinical utility analysis of the Hoxb8 mast cell activation test for the diagnosis of peanut allergy
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