Diagnosis of Allergy by innovative MIcro-Bead-based technology – DIALMIB

Modern society is subject to current environmental constraints due to the presence of pollutants in air, water or soil generating an alarming increase in allergic phenomena in the population. This chronic disease is steadily increasing since 40 years, leading from long-term human health deterioration to serious body reactions (anaphylaxis). Most of the allergens consist in (glyco)-proteins from various origins such as pollen, dust mites, and food products (both animals and plants).

Commercial analogic diagnosis solutions exist such as skin test or biochip technology (ISAC test) but are not fully adapted to answer the community involvement. They mainly suffer from a lack of sensitivity or a prohibitive cost. Moreover, their methodology does not allow screening the complete human allergenic cartography.

The DIALMIB project proposes a new digital approach for a multiplexed diagnosis of allergy, in conceptual break with the existing analog biochip technologies. DIALMIB is based on a microparticles color-code technology in liquid medium. This technology should allow the specific detection of IgE in patient’s sera with colored microbeads functionalized with allergen extracts from different sources. Coupling magnetic sorting, thermodynamic assembly and ultra-sensitive digital microbead lens-free analysis, this low-cost technology should increase the possibilities of the test (cross-allergies detection possibilities) and democratize it.

This project aims at providing a commercial solution including a diagnosis tool and consumables (reaction kit). Industrial transfer of this technology would open the market of clinical diagnosis to a start-up company issued from two of the project’s academic partners. If succeed, this digital microbeads technology could address other health applications (oncology, neurodegenerative diseases…) involving protein detection