A reliable shrimp allergy test
Conventional shrimp allergy test includes the use of shrimp extracts for skin prick test and measurement of blood level of shrimp-specific IgE antibody. However, these methods are not accurate enough. In order to design a more reliable test for shrimp allergy, the team discovered that basophil activation test had shown a higher diagnostic accuracy rate. Moreover, the study also identified three new shrimp allergens that are common in Southern Chinese population. (J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021 Jan;9(1):236-244.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.08.057. Epub 2020 Sep 12.)
Anyone interested in future collaboration in this field of research is welcome to contact our key investigator Prof. Ting Fan LEUNG from the Department of Paediatrics, CUHK. Prof. Leung’s research focuses on natural history, novel diagnostics, genetics and host-microbe interactions of allergic diseases in children.
