A game changer: multiplex technology enables scientists to detect multiple food allergens simultaneously within a single well. One run, one sample.

According to the World Allergy Organization, allergic diseases are among the most prevalent diseases worldwide, and the burden of these diseases continues to increase. Fortunately, there are several methods that aid diagnosis including skin-prick testing and blood tests that evaluate IgE sensitization to specific allergens, also known as allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) blood tests. While the only way to truly diagnose a food allergy is to conduct an oral food challenge, there are drawbacks to this method: it is time consuming, labor intensive, and poses potential risk to patients’ health. Either way, once an individual knows they have an allergy to a particular food, they can choose to remove that food from their diet or limit its consumption.

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Food labeling highlights an unmet need: a practical way to test a single sample for multiple allergens

Food labels are an important tool for informing individuals of the presence of potential allergens such as wheat, dairy, or peanuts, as well as related products. The 2004 Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act facilitates consumers’ ability to determine which food products to avoid to maintain a safe and healthy diet. Food testing laboratories have also been working to respond to individuals with multiple food allergies and address the need to determine if there are suspected allergy- and cross-reactive proteins in food samples.

The xMAP^® FADA enables food testing laboratories to efficiently detect multiple allergens within a single sample for the first time

Much of this research in allergy and food sensitization has prompted food testing laboratories to consider utilizing multiplex technology to measure allergens within food samples. The published article, Multi-laboratory validation of the xMAP^®—Food Allergen Detection Assay: A multiplex, antibody-based assay for the simultaneous detection of food allergens, discusses how scientists from Radix and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the US FDA developed a robust food allergen detection assay using Luminex’s