Brilliant blood test for allergy detection

New detection method developed for allergies

09/03/2014

The proof of an allergy is often done so far via a so-called prick test, in which possible allergens are introduced by a slight puncture in the skin. If there is a skin reaction, an allergy is assumed. The test presupposes, however, that the possible allergens are known, it takes some time, and sometimes it is possible to detect questionable reactions in the patients. A blood test to detect allergies would be advantageous here, but larger amounts of blood were previously required for this and the test required relatively extensive examinations of the blood.

Here, researchers from the Institute of Biosystems at the ETH Zurich in Basel have now presented a method that should considerably simplify the blood test for allergies. The Swiss scientists around Martin Fussenegger developed according to own data special „Designer cells“, the the „extracellular histamine levels“ visualize in the blood. In the journal „Nature Communications“ describe the researchers „Construction, characterization and validation of designer cells that sense the levels of the allergy mediator histamine in blood samples and produce a corresponding cellular response that allows a robust and reliable diagnosis of allergy profiles.“ The cells begin to glow on contact with histamine, forming a kind of cellular sensor for the allergies.

Designer cells recognize histamine release
„The allergy profilers represent a novel cell-based detection method for histamine from biological samples“, the researchers write in the journal „Nature Communications“. In the experiments with the blood samples of four test persons, the addition of allergenic substances caused a clear reaction of the designer cells. When histamine was shed, the modified cells glowed, with the intensity of the illumination increasing with the severity of the allergic reaction. The evaluation based on the allergy profilers correlated qualitatively with the results of the prick tests, reports Martin Fussenegger and colleagues. At the same time, the new test method has considerable advantages over the prick test, since the complete examination „in vitro“ - So in the test tube - can be performed. Thus, the detection method is much better suited than the prick test, for example „Diagnose allergies in children and patients with skin disorder.“

Routine creation of individual allergy profiles?
The scientists believe that the special designer cells may be useful in other areas of medicine in the future, such as the development of anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drugs. The biggest advantage, however, is that „routinely highly detailed personal allergy profiles for much of the population“ can be created, report Martin Fussenegger and colleagues. (Fp)