Food allergy test could lead to Glasgow lab launch

A BLOOD test that could offer hope for millions of food-intolerance sufferers will be rolled out across the UK this summer in a move that may lead to the setting up of a dedicated laboratory in Glasgow.

ImuPro analyses the reaction to nearly 300 separate elements and creates a personal food-immune profile. It allows sufferers of many chronic ailments, including arthritis and Crohn’s disease, to alleviate – or even eliminate – their symptoms by altering their diet.

The UK launch follows an initial push into France, Germany and Ireland, where the test is said to have been “enthusiastically received” by health professionals.

Joanna Wilkie, product specialist with R-Biopharm, which makes the ImuPro test plates, said the firm is looking at “a variety of routes to market”.

Its UK drive, due in the early summer, will be co-ordinated by Wilkie from R-Biopharm’s offices at the West of Scotland Science Park.

A full controlled roll-out over 18 months aims to create some 60 providers, including private GPs, “wellness” clinics and operators in the wider health and beauty market.

Wilkie said that, if the launch proceeds as planned, then the German parent company could look to establish a separate testing laboratory at the Glasgow site.

Experts estimate that food intolerance issues affect as much as 45 per cent of the UK population. ImuPro’s developers believe that the potential market for a simple test that can pin down specific intolerances is “enormous”.

Wilkie said: “ImuPro is the most comprehensive test on the market for food and food additives. It tests for 271 different elements, and each well on the test plate deals with just one element, compared to two or three in competitors’ tests. So ImuPro results can be much more conclusive.”

Once the testing has been completed and results analysed, patients are able to self-adjust their nutrient intake.

Wilkie turned patient herself after suffering headaches and sleep problems: “The test highlighted issues I had with dairy produce, eggs and, of all things, sesame seeds.”