Malaga researchers develop 'smart sponge' technique to diagnose amoxicillin allergy

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Malaga have published a pioneering study in prestigious scientific journal Allergy that promises to transform antibiotic allergy diagnosis.

Allergy to antibiotics such as amoxicillin is a global health problem that can manifest from mild skin reactions to life-threatening episodes of anaphylaxis. Until now, conventional laboratory tests have had a low sensitivity, forcing specialists to perform direct provocative tests on the patient, exposing them to potential allergic reactions.

According to the study, led by Dr Juan Luis Paris, this limitation in traditional tests is largely due to the presence of high concentrations of an antibody called IgG, which competes with and blocks the detection of IgE, which is the antibody actually responsible for the allergic reaction.

To overcome this obstacle, the scientists have developed an innovative technique called a 'smart sponge' to selectively trap and remove the interfering IgG antibodies, leaving the way clear for laboratory tests to identify the allergy.

This pre-treatment of the blood has proven to be highly effective, significantly increasing the sensitivity of diagnosis without compromising the reliability of the results.

The clinical results are particularly encouraging, as the combined use of these nanoparticles with conventional diagnostic tests has allowed the detection of 30 per cent more positive cases that previously went undetected with traditional methods. Moreover, 57 per cent of these new diagnoses were in patients with a history of severe anaphylaxis, underlining the potential of this technique to save lives and avoid risky medical procedures.

This breakthrough not only consolidates the leadership of Malaga's research in the field of nanomedicine, but also opens a new avenue to apply this blood 'cleaning' system in the diagnosis of other drug allergies in the future.