Advances in allergy research in 2008

Sicherer and Leung, two respected voices in the field of allergen research, have reviewed highlights of the scientific advances in anaphylaxis and hypersensitivity reactions to foods, drugs, and insects that were published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology throughout 2008.

The food allergy research that was reviewed covers many of the articles summarised in the Allergen Bureau eNews and website Updates throughout the year: The incidence of peanut allergy in Jewish children living in the UK compared to those in Israel; the reported increase in anaphylaxis in a population-based study; studies correlating the likelihood of clinical reactivity on the basis of food-specific IgE to sesame, peanut, milk, and tree nuts; and the promising results of oral immunotherapy to treat milk and egg allergies in children. They also reviewed research relating to IgE epitope mapping that may enable clinicians to determine the likelihood and severity of food allergy.

Like their review of 2007 allergy research that was published last year, Sicherer and Leung's latest paper serves as useful resource to keep up to date with advances in this field and provides a 'one-stop' summary of key research published in this journal.

Reference: Sicherer S & Leung D, 2009. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology vol. 123(2) pp. 319-327.