Epitope testing

IgE antibody is central to IgE-mediated food allergy pathogenesis. Understanding its role required advancements in molecular allergology, specifically for epitope mapping and quantification of epitope-specific antibody levels. Several studies suggested a possible hierarchy of IgE antibodies developing first against conformational and then linear epitopes, which come from an allergenic protein denatured through cooking or digestion. IgE antibodies specific to linear epitopes have been shown to be a marker of clinical sensitization, severity, and even tolerance. Measuring levels of IgE has thus been a big part of the field, as it plays a key role as a diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker.