Use of Intracellular Calcium Influx as Marker on Allergy Testing Ver 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Use of Intracellular Ca2+ Influx by Flow Cytometry Measurement As A Marker of Basophil Activation During Allergy Testing
IRAS ID
221404
Contact name
Efrem Eren
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Univesity Hospital Southampton NHS Trust Foundation
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 29 days
Research summary
Allergy is a number of conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system triggered by something in the environment which causes variety of symptoms from little to life threatening conditions, including skin rash, headache, sneezing, runny nose, swelling, nausea and diarrhea or anaphylaxis reactions. In the UK alone there was a 615% increase in the rate of hospital admissions for anaphylaxis from 20 years to 2012. (Turner, Paul J., et al, 2015). The diagnostic allergy testing includes in-vitro quantification of specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE), a protein antibody and correlated with in-vivo positive skin challenge testing (gold standard). However studies shows discrepancy of results between clinical and diagnostic results were found specially in drug testing.
The Basophilic Activation Test (BAT) is a flow-cytometry based functional assay which measures the basophil-specific cell activated markers after exposure to stimuli (allergen).This study aims to evaluate the potential diagnostic value of intracellular Calcium influx during basophil activation as marker on allergy testing by mimicking in-vitro the intracellular Calcium response during basophil activation. The Calcium influx will be measured by Flow Cytometry using Calcium Crimson to demonstrate the link between the intracellular Calcium influx and basophil activation. The Calcium influx is expected to rise during basophil activation. We will then measure sensitivity of this method for testing Neuromuscular Blocking Agents (NMBA), a rare intra-anaesthethic event but with life threatening clinical symptoms such as hypotension, shock and cardiac arrest.
Over 3 months potential patients will be recruited from the Allergy Clinic in the University Hospitals Southampton (UHS) presenting allergies to aero-allergens and hypersensitivity reaction during anaesthesia .The study aim to test 50 samples in total, 40 samples for positive controls (30 of which are positive for Food and pollen allergies, 10 for intra-anaesthetic NMBS related allergy) and 10 healthy control patients without previous known allergies.REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0695
Date of REC Opinion
26 May 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion