Organoide zur Analyse der aGal-allergischen Sensibilisierung

All mammals, except apes and humans, can make a certain sugar molecule (alpha-Gal). Instead, we humans, have IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies against it. Tick bites can introduce this sugar molecule into our bodies and some individuals, start then producing also IgE antibodies to alpha-Gal, developing an allergy to mammalian meat, which contains this sugar. How our immune system reacts to tick bites and why it might lead to this allergy remains unknown. This project will use miniaturized human lymph nodes, or immune organoids, grown in a lab to understand what happens after a tick bite. These organoids will be exposed to tick saliva to emulate a tick bite and we will investigate the way the different immune cells react to it, focusing on what leads to the production of IgE antibodies and therefore, the development of allergy. These immune organoids have never been used before to study allergic sensitization, but the special characteristics of alpha-Gal allergy, knowing the exact sensitizing event (a tick bite), make it possible. The results of this research could not only help to understand the process of sensitization to alpha-gal but also improve our understanding how allergies are developed in general.