Allergy is estimated to be the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the US, and the number of people exhibiting symptoms of an allergic response to various natural and synthetic compounds has increased dramatically in the last decade (1). The prevalence of food allergies is particularly evident in children; some reports estimate that the frequency of food allergies in infants is 2–5% (2). The identification of the specific IgE responsible for the clinical symptoms can be a costly and lengthy procedure. Various immunoassays, such as ELISA (3), the Radio Allergo Sorbent Test (4), and high-capacity solid-phase tests, e.g., the CAP system (Pharmacia) (5), are currently used in the diagnosis of allergies and have the inherent sensitivity and specificity to detect IgE in human serum. However, all of these assays are time-consuming, require large quantities of serum samples, and use poorly characterized antigen preparations. Moreover, none of the assays currently used in the diagnosis of allergies has the throughput to screen for the most common allergens, which are estimated to exceed 300
Detection of allergen-specific IgE on microarrays by use of signal amplification techniques.
MEZZASOMA, Letizia;ROSSI, Ruggero;BISTONI, Francesco;CRISANTI, Andrea
2002
Abstract
Allergy is estimated to be the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the US, and the number of people exhibiting symptoms of an allergic response to various natural and synthetic compounds has increased dramatically in the last decade (1). The prevalence of food allergies is particularly evident in children; some reports estimate that the frequency of food allergies in infants is 2–5% (2). The identification of the specific IgE responsible for the clinical symptoms can be a costly and lengthy procedure. Various immunoassays, such as ELISA (3), the Radio Allergo Sorbent Test (4), and high-capacity solid-phase tests, e.g., the CAP system (Pharmacia) (5), are currently used in the diagnosis of allergies and have the inherent sensitivity and specificity to detect IgE in human serum. However, all of these assays are time-consuming, require large quantities of serum samples, and use poorly characterized antigen preparations. Moreover, none of the assays currently used in the diagnosis of allergies has the throughput to screen for the most common allergens, which are estimated to exceed 300I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
