Allergy Screen

Coordinator:		Prof. Dr. Markus Ollert
Institution:		Klinik und Poliklinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie, TU München
Homepage:		www.zaum-online.de/

Atopy is defined as a familial tendency to develop characteristic IgE-mediated allergic diseases. The prevalence of atopic diseases (atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis) has increased to approx. 30%. The human genetic background together with environmental factors is thought to be responsible for this almost epidemic increase of IgE-mediated allergies. However, the precise function and linkage to allergic diseases has only been provided for a limited number of individual genes so far. In this respect, the systematic development of phenotypically and genotypically defined animal models will represent an important step forward. In this project, we will phenotype baseline total IgE levels and the allergic airway response in mutant mouse lines exposed to environmentally relevant allergens. In addition, we will employ an anaphylaxis model to analyze mechanisms of systemic IgE-mediated allergy. Our aim is to identify, in collaboration with NGFN partners, pathways and genes that lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of IgE-mediated allergic diseases under defined environmental challenge conditions, and subsequently to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against allergy.