Out-licensing

Food allergies to fish or cephalopods can be triggered by antigens remaining after treatments to prevent parasitic diseases caused by Anisakis. We have developed an extraction and immunology method to detect these allergens in frozen and cooked food

Antibody-based detection

Allergic reactions to food containing fish or cephalopods can be triggered by Anisakis, a parasite found in all seawater fish and cephalopod species. Since edible parts where no parasite larvae are present can also trigger these reactions, current freezing and cooking treatments to avoid anisakiasis may be insufficient to prevent these allergic reactions.

CSIC and the Hospital Carlos III have developed a new procedure consisting on the detection of Anisakis antigens by means of immunochemical technique using polyclonal antibodies directed to a specific allergen (Ani s 4).

This allergen is detectable in processed and cooked fish, due to its low molecular weight, heat stability, and resistance to high pressures and pepsin.

The method is very efficient because the Anisakis allergen can be detected at concentrations lower than 1ppm in the product. Besides, it involves a simple extraction procedure allowing a recovery rate higher than 65%.

Main advantages

• Detection of Anisakis and Anisakis allergens in processed (including under high pressure and proteolytic treatment) and cooked fish products.
• Highly specific: less than 1 ppm is detectable and no cross-reactions have been found.
• Tested in different fish species and products.
• Fast extraction: it does not involve specific steps for the purification of the allergen
• No costly reagents are required for the extraction of the allergen.
• This is a highly interesting method to avoid allergic reaction in Anisakis sensitive individuals

Early Stage

Propietary rights on the antibody-producing hybridoma

 

We are looking for companies to validate and commercialize a diagnostic kit based on our method, through an exclusive or non-exclusive licence for exploitation of the biological material (the antibody). 

Proprietary rights on the antibody producing hybridoma