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USA – FOOD ALLERGY RESEARCH
EPA to look at GM food allergies
December 19, 2005. Source - US EPA
Starting in 2006, the EPA will offer an estimated 3 million dollars for allergy research with genetically modified foods.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications proposing to develop methods to assess the potential allergenicity of genetically engineered foods.
The development of these methods will help in identifying substances that induce dietary allergy in humans and lead to improved evaluation of the relative potency of unknown proteins.
Currently, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) have proposed a decision tree to be used in assessing the potential allergenicity of novel dietary proteins. However, many of the components recommended in this decision tree have not been sufficiently developed or validated.
The STAR program is issuing this request for applications (RFA) for research on appropriate methods, either within or outside the framework of the current decision tree, primarily to assess human allergenicity of proteins in genetically engineered foods and, secondarily, to improve our understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying food allergy and susceptibility to food allergy as it pertains to genetically engineered foods.
Ideal methods would improve hazard identification and enhance the ability to
estimate the potency of unknown proteins relative to known allergenic and
non-allergenic proteins in a logistically feasible and cost effective manner.
Development of methods that are further amenable to the investigation of factors that influence susceptibility for sensitization to dietary allergens are also of interest.
Due Date for Applications: Mar 21, 2006; Estimated Funding: $3,000,000.00
For more information: http://es.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2005/2005_star_biotech.html
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