http://allergicliving.com/2014/12/04/new-blood-tests-aim-to-predict-food-allergies-and-severity/ (http://allergicliving.com/2014/12/04/new-blood-tests-aim-to-predict-food-allergies-and-severity/)
This sounds promising!
QuoteOne such gene, called FOXP3, is found in a type of white blood cell whose job it is to modulate and suppress other cells that are becoming inflamed or overactive, as happens in the case of an allergic reaction.
Nadeau has discovered that in food-allergic individuals this gene is disabled by a chemical coating that prevents it from being expressed (a change not in the genetic code itself, but in the way the gene functions, known as an epigenetic change).
whoah
:thumbsup:
This is REALLY exciting news! :happydance:
Somebody stop me from being excited about this. I'm so tired of the rug getting yanked out from under my feet.
Oh, and Dr. Nadeau needs a raise.
This! What a difference this test can make! :happydance:
I'm sitting in cautious optimism. :watch: (not quite a happy dance yet) As someone who tests negative (blood and skin) for my allergens, this would mean great things for my family. (We all test negative to at least one of our allergens, oddly enough.)
The article didn't mention, however, it's rate of false negatives. I hope that will be reduced compared to current testing as well.
So exciting!
Well, and recognize that those of us with a long family history of anaphylaxis (raises hand :bye: ) would probably still be out of luck with this-- it's possible that we are just naturally deficient in gene expression via FOXP3.
In my family and DH's, for example, it's pretty clear that this isn't exactly epigenetic so much as "genetic." Unless one believes that we were exceptionally early adopters or something... first really solid descriptions of anaphylaxis in my family date to about 1924. :-/
But it is SUPER exciting that this might be a target of some kind, and maybe explain certain funky and puzzling things about the allergic cascade and foods in particular. YAY!!! :happydance:
I am still trying to wrap my brain around this . . .