New blood test for newborns to detect allergy risk

	Tweet

A simple blood test can now predict whether newborn babies are at high risk of developing allergies as they grow older, thanks to research involving the University of Adelaide.

Professor Tony Ferrante, an immunologist from SA Pathology and the Children’s Research Centre at the University of Adelaide, says the new marker may be the most significant breakthrough in allergy testing for some decades.

“A protein in the immune cells of newborns appears to hold the answer as to whether a baby will either be protected, or susceptible to the development of allergies later on,” Professor Ferrante says.

Amounts of the cell signalling protein, called protein kinase C zeta, are much lower in children at risk of allergies.

Professor Ferrante says the blood test is far more effective than previous indicators, such as a family’s clinical history, or measuring the allergy-inducing antibody IgE.

In collaboration with Professor Susan Prescott from the University of Western Australia and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Professor Ferrante’s research team has refined the new marker for allergy risk, originally discovered in 2007, but now modified to a simple and manageable blood test at birth.

The researchers are also looking at whether fish oil supplements given to both pregnant women and those who have just given birth can reduce the risks of the children developing allergies.

“There is evidence that the levels of this important protein increase with fish oil supplementation to protect against allergy development,” Professor Ferrante says.

Australia has one of the highest allergy rates in the world, with 40% of children now suffering from allergic diseases, including food allergies, eczema, asthma and hay fever. These conditions frequently persist into adulthood, placing a heavy burden on the healthcare system.

The studies and clinical trials have been funded by the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Professor Ferrante is SA Pathology’s Head of Immunology at its Women’s and Children’s Hospital campus and Professor in the School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health at the University of Adelaide. He has been a leader in his field for more than 20 years and leads the Developmental and Genetic Immunology Program of the University’s Children’s Research Centre.

---
Professor Tony Ferrante
Immunology Department Head
School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health
University of Adelaide
Business: +61 8161 7216
Mobile: 0423 025 583

RELATED STORIES:
Adding Proton Pump Inhibitor to Treat Poorly Controlled Asthma in Children Does Not Improve Symptoms   Accelerated infant growth increases risk of future asthma symptoms in children   Getting a Cat Ups Allergy Risk in Adults   Love Your Pet - Not Your Allergy?   Six Tips to Ensure Allergies and Asthma Don’t Ruin Holiday Cheer   Vitamin C may be beneficial for asthmatic children   Using Powder-Free Latex Gloves Reduces Latex Allergy Rate in Health Care Workers   National asthma genetics consortium releases first results   Childhood pets linked to lower allergy risk   Gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori protects against asthma   Food allergies affect 1 in 12 kids: study   Early exposure to pets does not increase children’s risk of allergies

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]