Food allergy test machine plan

Thursday January 17th, 2013

Doctors could get a detailed diagnosis of food allergy in just 15 minutes if a European project is successful.

Researchers at the Universitat de València, Spain, are planning to use the latest hi-tech biosensors for the device.

They are working with companies and institutions across Europe on the EU-backed project.

Developers say more than 15 million people in Europe suffer from food allergies including 6% of children.

They plan to use a prototype begin trials on patients in June at the Hospital of the Universitaetsmedizin, Berlin, Germany. They expect the prototype to be able to detect ten different kinds of allergy - although, they say, their aim is a device that can detect all known food allergy.

Coordinator Daniel Hill said: "Beyond the project, the idea is to be able to put a food allergy diagnostic instrument that is fast, effective and safe in the surgery of every paediatrician, so that they can test during the first few years of life.

"The incorporated technology will on one hand allow the analysis from just one drop of blood, overcoming the frequently troublesome blood sampling issue, and on the other provide much greater information for a more precise diagnosis."

He added: "Currently, the most common allergy tests are expensive tests and especially traumatic for children, as well as pose a risk of adverse reactions."

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | Child Health | Europe

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