Diagnostic Methods Sought for Allergies, Asthma, and Food Hypersensitivity

A program aims to develop simple diagnostic methods for allergies, asthma, and food hypersensitivity for use in specialist and primary healthcare.

The objective of the program is to develop and clinically assess equipment to measure inflammation in the peripheral airways by means of exhaled air, and equipment to ascertain the type and degree of intestinal inflammation by means of rectal gas and fluid samples.

Combined, inflammatory diseases account for a significant proportion of healthcare costs and lost production in society. These diseases also cause extensive human suffering and impaired quality of life. In addition, certain inflammatory diseases have increased markedly over recent decades, including asthma and celiac disease. In many cases, effective medical treatments are available--not least for asthma--and the correct elimination diet can result in a total lack of symptoms from food hypersensitivity. However, the lack of simple and reliable measurement methods limits diagnosis and treatment monitoring.

The program aims to enable the measurement of various types of antibodies and other inflammation indicators in blood, saliva, and intestinal secretions. Aerocrine (Solna, Sweden) has joined the program, and its new Niox Flex device will help to determine which area of the airways is inflamed, which can be of great importance for selecting treatment in patients with asthma.

Partners in the program are Phadia AB (Uppsala, Sweden), Aerocrine AB, Alimenta Medical AB, and Uppsala University Hospital (Uppsala, Sweden). The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA; Stockholm, Sweden) sponsors the project by covering half of its costs, while the industrial partners are responsible for the remainder.

Aerocrine AB is marketing Niox Flex on a worldwide basis and is also marketing Niox Mino, representing a new generation of hand-held devices, in Europe. Both products are tailored for rapid, non-invasive control of the inflammatory status in the airways and may play a critical role for optimized asthma care and disease control.


Related Links:
Aerocrine
Phadia AB
Uppsala University Hospital