07 Sep Small Kit Can Easily Detect Food Allergens On-Site

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Lee

Lee, Hakho, PhD
Department of Systems Biology
Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: The incidence of food allergy is increasing worldwide, particularly among children, and yet no handy test is available for general public. There are plenty of allergens testing methods for the factories producing the products, we wanted to solve this issue. Our pilot test showed wide variation in allergen contents in packaged food products and restaurant meals. Hidden allergens (like gluten in salad dressing, likely from additives) were also found.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Most exciting result is that the system can be used for on-site food detection. Our detection kit (dongle) is small and easy to use, and the test is complete within 10 minutes. These capacities can really empower consumers to take control of their food intake.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

1) Expanding detection targets. We are already getting many requests to add different allergens.

2) Designing the next generation system that can perform the entire assay in a single integrated device (“sample-in and answer-out”)

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

ACS Nano. 2017 Aug 25. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.7b04318. [Epub ahead of print]
Integrated Magneto-Chemical Sensor For On-Site Food Allergen Detection.

Lin HY, Huang CH, Park J, Pathania D, Castro CM, Fasano A, Weissleder R¹, Lee H.

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on September 7, 2017 by Marie Benz MD FAAD