AllerGen researchers identify key cells and molecules that cause food allergy

AllerGen researchers at McMaster University have published a new paper that identifies key cells and molecules that cause food allergy. Drs Manel Jordana, Susan Waserman, and Derek Chu, an AllerGen trainee and first author on the paper, have shown that a protein called Interleukin-4 (IL-4) stimulates its own production from activated T cells, and not from other innate sources. This self-amplifying loop of IL-4 production leads to the generation of allergic-type T cells, antibody production, inflammation and anaphylaxis.

The article was published in Mucosal Immunology in November 2014.

A better understanding of how IL-4 is produced and the role it plays in allergic sensitization could lead to new treatment options for individuals with food allergies.