Identifying 11 shrimp allergens for precise shrimp allergy diagnosis

Shellfish allergy is highly prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region where seafood consumption is high, with shrimp being the leading offender, causing symptoms including anaphylaxis in both children and adults.  While the accuracy of conventional diagnostic allergy tests is not satisfactory, the team conducted a study and discovered that component-based specific IgE antibody test can diagnose shrimp allergy more accurately. It has the potential to become the gold standard for diagnosing shrimp allergy in the future. Moreover, this study expands the allergen profile of shrimp as it compares the sensitisation pattern and diagnostic value of the allergens in allergic subjects of two distinct populations.

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 focuses on immunology and allergy, and paediatric infectious disease. He was nominated to receive the Research Excellence in Allergic Diseases Award by the Hong Kong Institute of Allergy in September 2021.