Acute inflammation – Food allergy

Research aim

We aim to improve allergy diagnosis and increase quality of life to reduce healthcare costs by developing predictive diagnostic tools, get insight into food allergy mechanisms and increase understanding and awareness of allergic risks of (new) foods.

About us

Food allergy is on the rise and already affects 20 million Europeans, a trend that will continue with the introduction and increased consumption of protein-based (novel) foods. Food allergy negatively affects the quality of life and symptoms can range from mild reactions to life-threatening conditions. However, traditional diagnostic methods (e.g. IgE) are only conclusive in half of cases and cannot reliably predict symptom severity. A clear diagnosis often requires a costly and burdensome food challenge. Improved diagnostic tools are urgently needed to accurately diagnose and assess the severity of food allergies.
Additionally, the introduction of novel foods to the market can lead to new or worsened allergies. However, there is currently no understanding of how these allergies develop, no predictive methods for assessing the allergenic potential of novel foods, and no means to monitor adverse reactions post-market introduction. We collaborate with stakeholders from healthcare, sciences, patients, food producers, and regulators on:
– how food allergy develops in a changing food environment
– development and implementation of diagnostic tools
– effectiveness of therapies for the treatment of food allergy
– monitoring system for emerging allergies
– allergenicity assessment of novel foods
– understandable allergy information

We also collaborate with prof. Houben (UMCU, TNO) to advance quantitative approaches in food allergen risk assessment and management to advice amongst others WHO-FAO.