The Basophil Activation Test (BAT) is a new blood test which looks at the way blood cells involved in allergic reactions (basophils) react to the allergens in a test tube. In a previous study led by Dr Alexandra Santos, the BAT showed to be very useful to support the diagnosis of peanut allergy and could reduce the number of oral food challenges needed to confirm peanut allergy. The BAT has been adapted to test for milk, egg, cashew and sesame in the BAT 2 Study which started in early 2018.
The study aims to determine if the BAT can predict whether a participant is allergic or tolerant to the allergen of interest (milk, egg, cashew, sesame) and how the BAT results compare to the gold standard for diagnosing a food allergy, which is the oral food challenge. The oral food challenge is resource-intensive, time-consuming and carries the risk of an allergic reaction making it appealing to search for a reliable alternative method to diagnose food allergies. As most milk and egg allergic children can tolerate egg and milk as an ingredient in baked products like cakes, biscuits and muffins, the study further aims to determine if the BAT can differentiate between those who can tolerate the baked form of these foods and those who are allergic to all forms of milk or egg.
