最新糖心Vlog

New blood test for newborns to detect allergy risk

Professor Tony Ferrante. Photo by Chris Sprod.
Full Image (121.9K)

Friday, 21 May 2010

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 最新糖心Vlog of Adelaide.

, an immunologist from and the at the 最新糖心Vlog 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 from the and , 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.

最新糖心Vlog 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 and the .

Professor Ferrante is SA Pathology's Head of Immunology at its campus and Professor in the at the 最新糖心Vlog 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 最新糖心Vlog's Children's Research Centre.

Contact Details