Risk-based approaches in food allergy

Food allergy has been recognized already in early history as a condition triggered in some individuals upon consumptions of specific foods. However, its recognition as an essential element to be addressed in food safety management is of much more recent date. As a consequence, risk assessment and risk management practices for food allergy are...

Predicting the allergenicity of legume proteins using a PBMC gene expression assay

Background: Food proteins differ in their allergenic potential. Currently, there is no predictive and validated bio-assay to evaluate the allergenicity of novel food proteins. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression assay to identify biomarkers to predict...

Invloed van leefstijlfactoren op de vatbaarheid, ziektebeloop en herstel van COVID-19

ZonMw heeft het Lifestyle4Health platform verzocht om, in een samenwerking van minimaal 2 partijen verbonden aan Lifestyle4Health, een kennisinventarisatie te verrichten in het kader van het COVID-19 programma van ZonMw. De inventarisatie moet een overzicht bieden van de reeds beschikbare wetenschappelijke kennis over de invloed van...

Seeking Windows of Opportunity to Shape Lifelong Immune Health A Network-Based Strategy to Predict and Prioritize Markers of Early Life Immune Modulation

A healthy immune status is strongly conditioned during early life stages. Insights into the molecular drivers of early life immune development and function are prerequisite to identify strategies to enhance immune health. Even though several starting points for targeted immune modulation have been identified and are being developed into...

Mechanisms and immunomodulatory properties of pre- and probiotics

The human body is exposed to many xenobiotic, potentially harmful compounds. The intestinal immune system is crucial in protecting the human body from these substances. Moreover, many microorganisms, residing in the gastrointestinal tract, play an important role in modulating immune responses. Pre- and probiotics may have beneficial effects on...

The Impact of Immune Interventions: A Systems Biology Strategy for Predicting Adverse and Beneficial Immune Effects

Despite scientific advances it remains difficult to predict the risk and benefit balance of immune interventions. Since a few years, network models have been built based on comprehensive datasets at multiple molecular/cellular levels (genes, gene products, metabolic intermediates, macromolecules, cells) to illuminate functional and structural...

Network-Based Selection of Candidate Markers and Assays to Assess the Impact of Oral Immune Interventions on Gut Functions

To assess the safety and efficacy of oral immune interventions, it is important and required by regulation to assess the impact of those interventions not only on the immune system, but also on other organs such as the gut as the porte d'entrée. Despite clear indications that the immune system interacts with several physiological functions of...

Pili-like proteins of Akkermansia muciniphila modulate host immune responses and gut barrier function

Gut barrier function is key in maintaining a balanced response between the host and its microbiome. The microbiota can modulate changes in gut barrier as well as metabolic and inflammatory responses. This highly complex system involves numerous microbiota-derived factors. The gut symbiont Akkermansia muciniphila is positively correlated with a...

Immunomodulatory effects of potential probiotics in a mouse peanut sensitization model

Peanut allergy accounts for the majority of severe food-related allergic reactions and there is a need for new prevention and treatment strategies. Probiotics may be considered for treatment on the basis of their immunomodulating properties. Cytokine profiles of probiotic strains were determined by in vitro co-culture with human PBMCs. Three...

Identification of genetic loci in Lactobacillus plantarum that modulate the immune response of dendritic cells using comparative genome hybridization

Background: Probiotics can be used to stimulate or regulate epithelial and immune cells of the intestinal mucosa and generate beneficial mucosal immunomodulatory effects. Beneficial effects of specific strains of probiotics have been established in the treatment and prevention of various intestinal disorders, including allergic diseases and...