Testing Allergenic Substances Without Experimental Animals

Contact allergy affects around 20% of the population in the western world. Metals such as nickel, perfume and preservatives are the most common allergens and are often components of jewelery, skin lotions and make up. In those affected by contact allergies these substances must be avoided. Exposure can lead to eczema. The problem remains that these substances are present in many different products. This is why testing is so important in order to prevent the development of contact allergy.

"We have made several discoveries about the mechanism behind contact allergy, one of which is that allergenic substances react with keratin 5 and 14 in the skin. The skin cells form what are known as "blebs" when exposed to allergenic substances, and this can be used to test whether a substance is allergenic. Cultured skin cells are exposed to substances for 24 hours in our test, and then photographed. The number of cells with blebs is then counted. The greater the number of blebbing cells, the more powerful is the allergenic potential of the substance. Thus, our new test has the potential to give a graded reply: it can quite simply determine whether an allergenic substance is extremely, strongly, moderately or weakly allergenic", says Sofia Andersson from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Gothenburg.

The"bleb" count result can help determine safe concentrations of substances in products. This experiment has provided promising results.  The research team is now working with University of Gothenburg to further develop the test and the analysis method.If you suffer from contact allergies, which may manifest themselves as rashes, hives and swelling and live in the NYC area, contact my office I would be happy to assist you in getting to the root cause of your symptoms. 866-632-5537.Learn more about Contact Allergies here.