New allergy research laboratory opened at KL Krems

The laboratory is dedicated to researching allergies and developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. It investigates how allergies develop, which allergens actually affect people and how diseases can be recognised earlier and treated more specifically in future. The focus is on both global and regional allergens - with particular relevance for Lower Austria, for example. The knowledge gained should help to develop personalised therapies and make diagnostics more widely available and affordable in the long term.

"Today, one in three people worldwide is already affected by an allergy, and in ten years it could be one in two," said Pernkopf, who also emphasised: "Allergies have a negative impact on everyday life, affecting sleep, performance and concentration. That's why we rely on science - because research can make people's lives easier again." Lower Austria is an absolute leader in allergy research in particular. The Danube Allergy Research Cluster, or DARC for short, comprises around 100 researchers from Karl Landsteiner University, the Medical University of Vienna, BOKU Vienna and St. Pölten University Hospital, he continued. This strong network is headed by University Professor Rudolf Valenta, one of the world's leading allergy researchers. Today's opening of the new allergy research laboratory at the Karl Landsteiner University - the Center for Molecular Allergology headed by Dr Huey-Jy Huang - marks another milestone, said Pernkopf.

Three researchers are working directly on site, while all members of the network will benefit from the new infrastructure. A total of EUR 940,000 was invested in the project, funded in equal parts by the state of Lower Austria and the Medical University of Vienna. Among other things, the focus is on innovative allergy chips that are designed to diagnose allergies particularly early and precisely - with the aim of making this technology affordable for everyone in the future. At the same time, revolutionary forms of therapy are being developed to prevent the activation of inflammatory cells - for example through nasal sprays or eye drops that take effect before symptoms even appear. "This new allergy research laboratory is an important part of the Danube Allergy Research Cluster (DARC) allergy research network," explained University Professor Andrea Olschewski, Rector of Karl Landsteiner University in Krems. "This is a key research project that is of great importance for science and the healthcare of the population. We hope that the results will be of direct benefit to patients. We are very grateful to the state of Lower Austria for the considerable project funding," said the Rector.

This laboratory not only means enormous relief for those affected, but also opens up opportunities for economic innovations and spin-offs. "The opening of this laboratory is a historic moment because we now have a laboratory for molecular allergy research in Krems," said Rudolf Valenta, head of the DARC project. Austria is now a leader in the decoding of allergy-causing substances. "We have been able to bring together a complete 'collection' of the world's most important allergens here in this laboratory. The blueprints for the allergens mean that the molecules can now also be produced," he said , addressing a further aspect. The province of Lower Austria had farsightedly focussed on this topic. It is research that works, brings Lower Austria to the forefront and will make the lives of many people easier again in the future, he said.

Huey-Jy Huang, Head of the CMA Laboratory, said: "It's about more individualisation and more personalisation to help more people. This new lab and the entire research network are doing world-leading work."