New tool for finding allergy biomarkers

Monday, 31 January 2011 10:07

Researchers have developed a new method that allows for fast analysis of medical databases to identify novel diagnostic markers for allergic disease.

The scientists who developed the model were funded under two EU projects, ComplexDis and MultiMod, both of which are led from the Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden. The development comes from their investigation into certain genetic changes and the impact of these changes on the human immune system. Their work included a review of 18 million articles featured in the PubMed database.

In addition to its potential use for identifying diagnostic markers and personalised therapeutics for allergic disorders, the researchers believe their new method could also reduce the need for animal trials in clinical studies.

Reference: Pedicini, M., et al. 2010. PLoS Computational Biology. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1001032.