The role of T cells in tolerance induction in food allergy
Thursday 16 April 2009
Project
Allergy is an important disease that affects a substantial proportion of the general population, and which has seen an increasing incidence during the past three decades. In the first years of life, the immune system is relatively immature and highly susceptible for the development of sensitization and allergy to environmental allergens such as foods and inhalants. Cow’s milk is the most frequent encountered dietary allergen in infancy. Allergy to cow’s milk is therefore the most important allergy in infancy, and is usually the first presentation of the atopic state of an individual. Unlike other (food) allergies, cow’s milk allergy (CMA) in infancy is associated with rapid and spontaneous development of clinical tolerance. Elucidation of the mechanisms that determine the development of allergy and tolerance to cow’s milk is therefore of importance, because it may not only provide insights for therapeutic and preventive strategies for CMA, but also other (food) allergies.
In this project the function of T cells in the tolerance induction in food allergy is examined. For this the interaction of T cells with cow’s milk proteins is tested on the basis of cytokine production, proliferation and membrane expression of cell activation and cell subsets markers. Apart from the different responses between T cells obtained from healthy and allergic individuals also the specific amino-acid sequence peptides within the cow’s milk protein is evaluated. The allergen-specific T cell response is manipulated by bacterial proteins and/or cytokines.
Techniques
Cell culture, ELISA, flowcytometry, cell proliferation assays, T cell isolation from blood.
Duration
Due to the duration of the T cell cultures a 9 months period is strongly preferred.
Contact
Dr. Els van Hoffen, tel 088 75 562 89, E.vanHoffen@umcutrecht.nl
Dr. Edward Knol, tel 088 75 562 67, E.F.Knol@umcutrecht.nl
More info
Website Dermatology Utrecht
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