Characterization of meat allergens for improved diagnosis of meat allergy

30 % of the population in industrialized countries suffer from IgE-mediated allergies. Allergic reactions to food belong to the most important and most dangerous type I allergies, since they are often associated with life- threatening anaphylactic reactions. So far there is only limited knowledge on allergic reactions caused by meat. The main focus of this project is the identification and characterization of meat allergens from various meat sources (poultry, beef, pork and lamb). The identified allergens will be expressed in bacterial expression systems, to generate recombinant molecules. These recombinant meat allergens will first be characterized regarding their biochemical and structural features and then be evaluated regarding their IgE binding capacity and allergenicity. The recombinant allergens, which show immunological characteristics comparable to their natural counterparts, represent well-defined single components, which can be applied for improved diagnosis of meat allergy. A further goal is to use the recombinant meat allergens for the generation of meat allergen specific rabbit antisera and to use the rabbit antisera for the development of sandwich ELISA assay systems, which will represent useful tools for the evaluation of commercially available diagnostic meat extracts and for the detection of meat allergens in food, even in a high through-put format. Furthermore, this project will also lead to the development of strategies for the treatment of meat allergic patients.

No additional funding sources recorded.