New Findings on Kiwifruit Major Allergen Brings New Hope to Patients

VIENNA, Austria, December 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

(French, Italian, German and Spanish version available at http://www.eaaci.org/eaacimedia.html )

Food allergies can induce life threatening symptoms. Therefore, precise diagnosis, identification of marker allergens as risk factors for severe reactions and understanding the molecular mechanisms of the immune system are key.

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People who suffer from kiwifruit allergy are more likely to experience symptoms from mild unpleasant reactions in the oral cavity up to very severe life threatening anaphylaxis.
Act d 1, the major kiwifruit allergen, usually induces rather severe symptoms. This is partly due to the fact that this protein resists digestion and can actively pass through the intestinal barrier.

For kiwifruit allergy, like many other food allergies, there is currently no active immunotherapy available. However, for some food allergies there is hope: the first data of allergen specific immunotherapy for food allergies will be presented at the International Symposium on Molecular Allergology, ISMA 2013, meeting in Vienna. Updates on clinical trials for pollen immunotherapies will also be summarised. Additionally, another highlight of the meeting will deal with bee and wasp venom allergy: By fine tuning allergen specific diagnosis - patient tailored immunotherapy either for bee or wasp venom or a combination of both, can be offered.

Among the hot topics relevant questions to be tackled include:

- How many allergens do we need for diagnosis and treatment of pollen allergies?

- The impact of new diagnostic devices on the management and treatment of allergic patients.

- Prevalence of allergic diseases in industrialised and developing countries - is there a difference?

- How does the new allergen chip improve diagnosis of allergic diseases?

ISMA 2013

ISMA 2013, International Symposium on Molecular Allergology, organised by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) will be held from 5 - 7 December, 2013, in Vienna, Austria. This meeting attracts nearly 450 participants from all over the world. Some of the scientific highlights will be novel concepts in molecular allergology, structural and functional biology of allergens, allergen specific diagnosis and cutting edge allergen specific immunotherapy. In addition to the official scientific programme, oral abstract and poster sessions will be held. All abstracts are available at http://www.eaaci-isma.org

About EAACI

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, EAACI, is a non-profit organisation active in the field of allergic and immunologic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema, occupational allergy, food and drug allergy and anaphylaxis. EAACI was founded in 1956 in Florence and has become the largest medical association in Europe in the field of allergy and clinical immunology. It includes over 7,800 members from 121 countries, as well as 42 National Allergy Societies.