FH-Prof. Univ. Doz. Dr. Ines Swoboda
Head of Research Center Molecular Biotechnology; Senior Lecturer
ines.swoboda@hcw.ac.at
+43 1 606 68 77-3507
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Project duration: 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2024
25-30% of the population in Western countries suffer from allergies. Fungi are found everywhere and represent an important respiratory allergen source. Due to the poor quality of the fungal extracts used for diagnosis and the insufficient characterisation of the allergy-triggering molecules, fungal allergies are currently still under-diagnosed. However, it is assumed that up to 10% of the population is affected by fungal allergies.
The aim of the project is to determine the most important allergenic moulds and cap fungi occurring in Central Europe, as well as to identify and characterise their allergens. To achieve this goal, both the large fungal strain collection of the AIT and newly collected environmental fungal samples will be characterised using modern molecular biological methods and screened for fungal allergens using sera from fungal allergy sufferers. The identified allergens are then produced recombinantly and characterised biochemically or immunologically. Analyses of the IgE reactivity of the recombinant allergens with sera from a large number of patients will make it possible to determine the significance of the identified allergens for fungal-allergic patients.
The Immunology research group headed by FH-Prof.in Univ. Doz.in Dr. in Ines Swoboda is a third-party provider in the project "From allergen molecules towards diagnosis and treatment of mould allergy" led by Dr.in Angela Sessitsch, (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), which is dedicated to the topic of fungal allergy.
Head of Research Center Molecular Biotechnology; Senior Lecturer
ines.swoboda@hcw.ac.at
+43 1 606 68 77-3507