MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Soman Abraham PhD Grace Kerby Distinguished Professor of Pathology Duke University. Dr. Abraham led the research when working in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The degranulation of mast cells (MCs) is a process that leads to allergic symptoms, ranging from itching, redness, and swelling of the tissue to severe and potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis involving multiple organ systems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 10 per cent of the global population suffers from food allergies. As allergy rates continue to rise, so does the incidence of food-triggered anaphylaxis and asthma worldwide. In view of the fact that allergic diseases are difficult to prevent or treat, we sought to understand the underlying basis for anaphylactic reactions. (more…)