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. 2024 Nov 2;20(1):59.
doi: 10.1186/s13223-024-00921-8.

Zéro allergie research clinic: a clinical and research initiative in oral immunotherapy for managing IgE-mediated food allergy

Bénédicte L Tremblay  1   2 , Philippe Bégin  3 , Frédérique Gagnon-Brassard  1   2 , Anne-Marie Boucher-Lafleur  1   2 , Marie-Ève Lavoie  1   2 , Anne-Marie Madore  1   2 , Sarah Lavoie  2   4 , Cloé Rochefort-Beaudoin  2   4 , Claudia Nuncio-Naud  2   4 , Charles Morin #  2   4 , Guy Parizeault #  2   4 , Catherine Laprise  5   6   7
Affiliations

Zéro allergie research clinic: a clinical and research initiative in oral immunotherapy for managing IgE-mediated food allergy

Bénédicte L Tremblay et al. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. .

Abstract

Background and methods: The Zéro allergie research clinic (Saguenay, Canada) is a clinical and research initiative in oral immunotherapy (OIT) for managing IgE-mediated food allergy (FA). A total of 183 children with FA and 27 non-allergic siblings were recruited to date in the Zéro allergie cohort (ZAC) to better understand biological mechanisms underlying FA and OIT prognosis. The primary aims are to (a) better understand the genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and microbial diversity associated with FA; (b) establish the multi-omics and microbial diversity profiles of children following OIT to identify predictive prognosis biomarkers, (c) make OIT more accessible to the population of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, and (d) build a biobank of data and biological material.

Results: The ZAC constitutes a unique and rich biobank of biological samples (blood, buccal swabs, microbiota samples [intestinal, buccal, nasal, and cutaneous]) combined with clinical data and more than 75 phenotypic characteristics.

Conclusions: This represents an innovative interdisciplinary initiative by researchers, allergists, and paediatricians to make FA care accessible to a greater number of children with IgE-mediated FA. Ultimately, it will contribute to provide more accessible treatment options with greater chances of success through a better understanding of the biological nature of FA and OIT.

Keywords: Asthma Desensitization; Epigenetics; Food allergy; Gene expression; Genetics; Metabolomics; Microbiota; Oral immunotherapy Public Health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study protocol of the Zéro allergie research clinic. Skin prick tests, food diaries, and various samples are taken before the sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) (T-1), before the oral immunotherapy (OIT) (T0), and at the end of the buildup of dose (T1)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Numbers of food allergens desensitized in oral immunotherapy in children of the Zéro allergie cohort
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Skin prick tests before and after oral immunotherapy (n = 90)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Changes in skin prick tests in 90 oral immunotherapy processes in 67 children since some children followed oral immunotherapy (OIT) for multiple allergens. Bars represent OIT processes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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