Identification, characterization and production of new allergens

• Grant number: 12/14019-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Duration: December 01, 2012 - November 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Keity Souza Santos
• Grantee: Keity Souza Santos
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ariana Campos Yang ; Clóvis Eduardo Santos Galvão ; Fabio Fernandes Morato Castro ; Helen Andrade Arcuri
• Associated scholarship(s): 13/11172-7 - Identification, purification and characterization of new allergens from the Polybia paulista wasp venom, BP.DR; 12/23412-0 - Identification, production and characterization of new regional allergens, BP.JP

Abstract

Allergic diseases involving type I hypersensitivity are characterized by heterogenous clinical manifestations and specialists estimate today that around 30% of the general population suffers from an allergic disease. Most prevalent allergens are: mites, animal´s proteins, food, mold, pollens, insect venoms and drugs. Furthermore each day new allergens are being reported and some sources are even not yet identified, while others although already reported have not yet specific allergens described. This is true especially when talking about Brazilian allergens caused by complex biodiversity found at tropical regions in a gigantic country such ours and also due to reduced research in the field in Brazil. Treatment for allergy relies mainly in the correct identification of the allergen responsible for clinical manifestations. Specific immunotherapy continues to be the most suitable treatment and depends on this correct identification to be performed accordingly. Wrong identifications result in inconclusive diagnostics and ineffective treatment. Reports from literature show that proteomic approaches using 2D imunoblotting are being successfully used to identify new allergens and are more powerful when associated to bioinformatics to predict structure and allergenic epitopes. Taking these into account and considering the high number of patients that are attended at Serviço de Imunologia Clínica e Alergia do Hospital das Clínicas de São Paulo (HC-FMUSP) with clinical manifestations of allergies not yet determined or barely studied we intend to create a systematic clinical and laboratorial investigative practice through a proteomic approach to identify new allergens and to identify potential cross reactivity with already known allergens. Moreover epitope prediction can be an important tool for development of hypoallergenic molecules in the future. Therefore we aim to characterize immunological and physic-chemically these new identified allergens. The main clinical areas in this project are: (1) insect venoms, (2) food allergens and (3) latex. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE AMICIS, KARINE; COSTA, PRISCILLA RAMOS; FIGO, DANIELE DANELLA; FONSECADE DE LIMA, CYNTHIA MAFRA; MORATO CASTRO, FABIO FERNANDES; KALIL, JORGE; SANTOS, KEITY SOUZA; SANTOS GALVAO, CLOVIS EDUARDO. Immunophenotypical Characterization of a Brazilian POIS (Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome) Patient: Adding More Pieces to Puzzle. JOURNAL OF SEX & MARITAL THERAPY, OCT 2019. (12/14019-2)

FIGO, DANIELE DANELLA; DE AMICIS, KARINE; SANTOS DE AQUINO, DENISE NEIVA; POMIECINSKI, FABIANE; GADERMAIER, GABRIELE; BRIZA, PETER; SANTOS GALVAO, CLOVIS EDUARDO; DO AMARAL, JONATAS BUSSADOR; MARTINS, CARLO DE OLIVEIRA; MORATO CASTRO, FABIO FERNANDES; et al. Cashew Tree Pollen: An Unknown Source of IgE-Reactive Molecules. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v. 20, n. 10, MAY 2 2019. (12/14019-2)

FIGO, DANIELE DANELLA; DE AMICIS, KARINE; SANTOS DE AQUINO, DENISE NEIVA; POMIECINSKI, FABIANE; GADERMAIER, GABRIELE; BRIZA, PETER; SANTOS GALVAO, CLOVIS EDUARDO; DO AMARAL, JONATAS BUSSADOR; MARTINS, CARLO DE OLIVEIRA; MORATO CASTRO, FABIO FERNANDES; et al. Cashew Tree Pollen: An Unknown Source of IgE-Reactive Molecules. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, v. 20, n. 10, p. 15-pg., 2019-05-02. (12/14019-2)

DE AMICIS, KARINE; COSTA, PRISCILLA RAMOS; FIGO, DANIELE DANELLA; FONSECADE DE LIMA, CYNTHIA MAFRA; MORATO CASTRO, FABIO FERNANDES; KALIL, JORGE; SANTOS, KEITY SOUZA; SANTOS GALVAO, CLOVIS EDUARDO. Immunophenotypical Characterization of a Brazilian POIS (Post-Orgasmic Illness Syndrome) Patient: Adding More Pieces to Puzzle. JOURNAL OF SEX & MARITAL THERAPY, v. 46, n. 3, p. 7-pg., 2019-10-14. (12/14019-2)