Allergy Consortium Wageningen
Allergy Prevention website Wageningen UR (in Dutch)
Current Research Programs
PhD Program
Sponsored by Wageningen UR, a program has been developed to build up a state-of-the-art knowledge
position in the field of management of food and environment-related allergies.
Objective is to stimulate multidisciplinary approaches, by positioning each PhD-student at the
interface of at least 2 science groups.
The following science groups are involved in ACW-activities:
- Animal Sciences Group (ASG): Dept. Cell Biology and Immunology (CBI)
- Plant Sciences Group (PSG): Plant Research International (PRI)
- Agrotechnology and Food Sciences Group (AFSG): Agrotechnology & Food Innovations (A&F);
AFS-University Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences
- RIKILT-Institute for Food safety;
- Social Sciences Group (SSG): Agricultural Economics Research (LEI); Dept. Communication and Innovation Studies
- Environmental Sciences Group (ESG): Environmental Systems Analysis Group; Alterra
- Wageningen UR: Wageningen Business School (WBS) and Dept. Communication and Public Affairs
This PhD programme aims at building up a consistent, efficient and effective research package under
optimum continuous integration of already existing and newly generated knowledge,
aimed at the development of a range of strategies to prevent allergy.
Structural consultations, at least once each half year, of the PhDs with their promoters and
co-promoters are an essential part of the PhD plan to stimulate integration in support of science
development and collaboration between various Science Groups. Allergy research requires an integrated
approach. Its knowledge unravels interrelations between raw materials and their processing, the
processing of food products, and final consumption. Allergy manifests itself in the consumer with
his or her specific genetically or physiologically determined predispositions and characteristics.
These are determined by food and the food production process but also by the green environment
and the housing, living and working conditions. The PhD students will play a full part in this
interdisciplinarity.
This PhD research programme links up with various running research activities in collaboration
with external national and international partners in the medical sector and in the food industry.
The programme is characterised by a strongly integrating approach, within as well as outside
Wageningen UR. The programme should attract external parties (government bodies, food industry,
health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies) to commission their research to ACW, the
Allergy Consortium Wageningen.
- Three PhD students will participate in the PhD cluster ‘From gene to allergenicity’. The
activities will focus on conducting ‘Understanding Research’. Aeroallergens (proteins in pollen
of trees such as birch, hazel, alder, and of grasses and roadside weeds) not only cause hay fever
(~5% of the population of the Netherlands) but also hay fever related food allergies (2-3%)
resulting from cross reactivity by homologous proteins. This particularly concerns allergies to
fresh horticultural products (fruit and vegetables). This situation offers possibilities for
research into three different aspects of one single allergy chain:
- ‘Allergens in the green living environment’ [ir. Martijn Schenk]
This PhD study focuses on the presence and the effects of allergens in the green living environment.
Populations and spreading of various Fagales species will be inventoried. Special attention will be
paid to specific allergenicity while using molecular analyses based on genomics and proteomics.
Hypoallergenic cultivars will specifically be selected and attention will be paid to the nature and
magnitude of the consequences of allergens in the green environment. A method will be developed
for establishing these effects. The study will lead to recommendations for management of the green
environment.
Project leader
Dr M.J.M. Smulders (phone + 31 317 47 69 82, e-mail Rene.Smulders@wur.nl)
Promoters
Prof. E. Jacobsen (phone +31 317 47 70 44, e-mail Evert.Jacobsen@wur.nl)
Prof. L. Frewer (phone +31 317 48 25 50, e-mail: Lynn.Frewer@wur.nl)
- ‘Stability of Bet v1-analogous allergens in the food production chain’[drs. Mirko Bollen]
This PhD study focuses on the stability of cross reactive allergens and processing, with molecular
characterisation of various Bet v 1 homologues in a variety of fruits and vegetables (such as Mald1
isoforms in various apple cultivars), while taking the protein structure and the effects of various
forms of processing into account. Microarrays and PCR enable determination of the activity of the
particular genes at RNA level in various apple cultivars with widely varying allergenicity.
2D-gelectrophoresis enables distinction and purification of isoforms at protein level in these
varieties. These are then used for characterisation of the chemical structure, including the
structure of the epitopes, for establishing their allergenicity at cell and organism level, for
which in-vitro tests based on cellular systems will be developed. This study will also include
possibilities for product differentiation. These isoforms will by means of a biosensor or inhibition
ELISA be studied for epitope specific IgE binding (epitope mapping) with serums of patients with
clinically proven apple allergy. The objective is to arrive at technological, organisational and
marketing opportunities for the development of allergen-free products and associated labelling and
certification. The research will lead to recommendations for the food industry.
Project leaders and promoters
Prof. M.A.J.S. van Boekel (phone +31 317 484281, e-mail: Tiny.vanBoekel@wur.nl)
Prof. H.F.J. Savelkoul (phone +31 317 483925, e-mail: Huub.Savelkoul@wur.nl)
Project team
Dr J.P.F.G. Helsper (phone +31 317 477226, e-mail: Hans.Helsper@wur.nl)
Dr H.J. Wichers (phone +31 317 475228 e-mail: Harry.Wichers@wur.nl)
- ‘Influence of consumption patterns on the development of food allergy’ [ing. Prescilla Jeurink]
This PhD subject investigates the factors that determine the sensitivity of patients to Bet v 1
from birch and its homologues in various types of vegetables and fruit. Attention is paid to
consumption patterns (including food preparation), life style elements and other demographic
characteristics such as profession, hobbies, age, sporting activities and their effects on
sensitivity (consumer sciences and epidemiology). Potential patients for specific allergies will
also be characterised by means of human biomarkers based on human genomics. This research, with the
objective to prevent sensitisation, will result in a set of recommendations for patients.
Project leaders and promoters
Prof. H.F.J. Savelkoul, (phone +31 317 483925, e-mail: Huub.Savelkoul@wur.nl)
Prof. G. Antonides (phone +31 317 483897 e-mail: Gerrit.Antonides@wur.nl)
Project team:
Dr Johan van Ophem (phone +31 317 482581 e-mail: Johan.vanOphem@wur.nl)
Dr H.J. Wichers (phone +31 317 475228 e-mail: Harry.Wichers@wur.nl)
- ‘Wheat gluten and Celiac Disease’ [ing. Teun van Herpen]
One PhD student will be working on this subject. About 1% of the Western population suffers
clinically from celiac disease. The activities focus on ‘Designing Research’ and aim at the
genomics of wheat gluten genes, epitope screening and toxicity determination of wheat varieties
(selection and development varieties with a low toxicity) and of recombinant gluten. Final goals
of the project are the determination of the biological activity of gluten peptides and the development
of human-cellular and molecular testing systems for the presence of toxic gluten in food products.
Project leader
Dr L.J.W.J. Gilissen (phone +31 317-477168, e-mail: Luud.Gilissen@wur.nl)
Promoters
Prof. R.J. Hamer (phone +31 317-485380, e-mail: Hamer@foodsciences.nl)
Prof. R.J. Bino (phone +31 317-76977, e-mail: Raoul.Bino@wur.nl)
Project team
Dr M.J.M. Smulders (phone +31 317-476982, e-mail: Rene.Smulders@wur.nl)
- ‘Novel foods and concerns about allergy’ [ir. Margreet van Putten]
This PhD student conducts research into the possibilities of integration of gamma and beta components.
This part of the PhD programme focuses on ‘Knowledge implementation’. Starting point is existing
knowledge about kiwi allergy and potential allergy of Starlink maize, both novel food products. The
gamma component should gain insight into consumer attitude towards novel foods and the effect of
this attitude on the possible allergenicity of the novel food in question (non-GM and GM). The beta
component focuses on the development of strategies and techniques to estimate the possible
allergenicity of novel foods. The research should yield more insight into the societal concerns
and into adequate policy measures to improve food safety.
Project leader
Prof. L.J. Frewer (phone +31 317 482550, e-mail: Lynn.Frewer@wur.nl)
Post-doc Program
Two post-docs resp. have started or will start in very due course and research that is embedded in
the Allergy Consortium.
The post-doc program is until now sponsored by European funding.
- Post-doc 1 (dr. Cristina Lull Noguera).
'Development of immunomodulatory food ingredients from edible mushrooms'
Anomalies in which the human immune system is involved are important affectors of the experienced
quality of life, and an important cost factor to society, in terms of loss of labour time, health
care costs and, in children, loss of school attendance.
Important anomalies in this respect are allergies, of which the incidence is increasing and decreased
immune resistance as occurring in the elderly population.
In many cases, medical approach of the anomaly is the preferred treatment. However, developments in
our knowledge of the regulation of the immune system, and the working mechanism of natural compounds
that can assist in regulating the immune response, have rapidly progressed. From this, novel
opportunities emerge to develop mild therapeutical or nutraceutical preparations that offer potential
to mitigate some of the immune deficiencies mentioned in this proposal, thus contributing to
improvement of quality of life, decrease hospitalisation, and better control of cost of health care.
In (edible) fungi, two main groups of immunomodulatory active compounds have been identified: ß-glucans and
FIPs (fungal immunomodulatory proteins).
The project is aimed at isolation, characterisation and testing (in immunological assays based on Th1
and Th2 subsets) of active compounds from fungi, and at designing options for applications of such
compounds. Applications can be sought in increase of natural resistance or regulation of allergic
responses.
Project leaders:
Dr H.J. Wichers (phone +31 317 475228 e-mail: Harry.Wichers@wur.nl)
Prof. H.F.J. Savelkoul (phone +31 317 483925, e-mail: Huub.Savelkoul@wur.nl)
- Post-doc 2 (dr. Aranzazu García Borrego)
'Enzymatic oxidation to reduce the allergenicity of food products'
Enzymatic oxidation reactions are known to decrease the allergenicity of fresh apples.
The applicability of this enzymatic reaction to decrease the allergenicity of food products that
contain allergens that are structurally related to the major apple allergen will be investigated.
Crops that contain similar allergens as apple, but show a much less pronounced allergenicity decrease
than apple, will be compared re. contents of oxidative enzymes (polyphenol oxidases, peroxidases),
phenolic substrates for these enzymes and allergenicity.
To obtain insight in the specifics of binding of phenolics to allergens and their epitopes, allergens
and synthetically prepared epitopes will be converted enzymatically and analysed via MALDI-TOF.
The application of the enzymatic oxidation system to decrease allergenicity will be extended to a
recalcitrant allergen such as Ara h 1 from peanut.
Eventually, an evaluation of the potential of this enzymatic oxidation method for preparation of
hypoallergenic food products will be made.
Project leaders:
Dr H.J. Wichers (phone +31 317 475228 e-mail: Harry.Wichers@wur.nl)
Prof. H.F.J. Savelkoul (phone +31 317 483925, e-mail: Huub.Savelkoul@wur.nl)