Novel Biomarkers and Diagnostic Tools in Food Allergy

The double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge (DBPCFC) has been the "gold standard" for diagnosing IgE-mediated food allergy for the past 50 years. Despite tremendous strides in our understanding of basic mechanisms and clinical features of food allergy, we remain dependent on refinements of old technologies, i.e., skin tests and serum IgE measurements, to complement clinical history in making an accurate diagnosis of food allergies. However, recent technical advances in two effector cell assays, i.e., the basophil and mast cell activation tests, may soon bring these diagnostic biomarkers to the clinic. In addition, new advances in antibody assays, T-cell assays, transcriptomics, and metabolomics in conjunction with machine learning and artificial intelligence may soon enable us to diagnose food allergy and accurately monitor immunotherapeutic outcomes without the need for an oral food challenge.