Exploration into the Genetics of Food Allergy

Abstract

Food Allergies are a common pediatric condition and has been reported up to 1 in 4 children and nearly 3 million children reporting a food reaction in 2007 based on the latest Center for Disease Control report in Nov 2008. Food Allergies can be divided into several types of reactions: urticarial, anaphylaxis, respiratory and gastrointestinal. The reactions can be further divided based on mechanism of reaction into IgE and non-IgE. In conjunction with the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia, we used genome wide association (GWA) studies whole exon sequencing to identify many new genes in food allergy. We identified TSLP as a region of interest in Eosinophilic Esophagitis. We were able to confirm the importance of the region in human studies finding direct correlation with eosinophils and TSLP. In addition, we also identified two additional regions that play a role in food allergy. These genes were also identified in mechanistic studies identifying new pathways for treatment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA611998

Entities

People

  • Jonathan M. Spergel

Organizations

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Cells
  • Chemistry
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Peptide Growth Factors
  • Skin Diseases

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Allergy and Immunology.
  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.
  • Technical Research and Report Writing.

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology