Microarrayed allergen molecules: diagnostic gatekeepers for allergy treatment

SPECIFIC AIMSType I allergy is an immunoglobulin E (IgE) -mediated hypersensitivity disease affecting >25% of the population. Allergy diagnosis is performed by provocation testing and IgE serology using allergen extracts. It defines allergen-containing sources but cannot identify the disease-eliciting allergenic molecules. We have established a panel of purified recombinant and natural allergen molecules that represents the most common allergen sources. These molecules were microarrayed on glass chips in order to develop a miniaturized allergy test that allows the determination and monitoring of allergic patients’ IgE reactivity profiles to disease-causing allergens using single measurements and minute amounts of serum.PRINCIPAL FINDINGS1. Selection, purification, and characterization of allergen molecules representing important allergen sourcesWe purified 78 recombinant and 16 natural allergen molecules representative of most important allergen sources (Fig. 1⤻ a). The respiratory allergen sources covere...