Insights into microRNA-mediated interaction and regulation of metabolites in tomato

microRNAs direct regulation of various metabolic pathways in plants and animals. miRNAs may be useful in developing novel/elite genotypes, with enhanced metabolites and disease resistance. We examined miRNAs in tomato. In tomato, miRNAs in the carotenoid pathway have not been fully elucidated. We examined the potential role of miRNAs in biosynthesis of carotenoids, transcript profiling of miRNAs and their possible targets (genes and transcription factors) at different development stages of tomato using stem-loop PCR and RT-qPCR. We also identified miRNAs targeting key flavonoid genes, such as chalcone isomerase (CHI), and dihydroflavonol-4-reductase (DFR). Distinct expression profiles of miRNAs and their targets were found in fruits of three tomato accessions, suggesting carotenoid regulation by miRNAs at various stages of fruit development. This was also confirmed using HPLC of the carotenoids. The present study may help in understanding possible regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis. The identified miRNAs can be exploited to enhance biosynthesis of different carotenoids in plants.

P-054 STANDARDIZATION OF HERNIA REGISTRY IN A HIGH-VOLUME LOW-COMPLEXITY CENTRE

Introduction

Our surgical department performs an average of 350 cases per year, performed by general surgeons of various seniority. These are predominantly in a post-pandemic period, where a backlog of patients are awaiting surgery in the NHS. It is not always possible for the same professional to provide continuity of care. An easy and reproducible classification of hernias is necessary to facilitate universal communication among surgeons.

Methods

We implemented a surgical proforma for the pre-assessment and operation note, based on the European Hernia Society (EHS) for inguinal and ventral hernias. The pre-assessment and operation note proforma were trialled on an elective basis on a week designated for hernia surgery. The proforma was then rolled out to both elective and emergency hernia repair surgery with the collaboration of all surgeons from our department.

Results

The use of designated hernia week was beneficial to learning and led to acceptance of the new proforma amongst all our surgeons. Hence, the reproducibility in non-dedicated elective lists and emergency cases could be achieved.

Conclusion

The adoption of a single classification accepted internationally, as proposed by the EHS, improves the continuity of patients’ care from pre-assessment to post-operative follow-up. The registry will benefit from better planning of theatre lists, improved productivity, understanding of recurrence rates, types of complications, and lead to improved quality of life. Long-term data collection and further studies can be uniformly compared inside the surgical department, and in collaboration with multinational studies with this initiative.

48 Consenting Surgical Patients for the Risk Associated with Contracting COVID-19 During Their Stay at the Hospital

Aim

Literature is suggesting significant perioperative mortality and morbidity associated with COVID-19. Therefore, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has produced guidance detailing additional considerations in consenting for surgery whilst COVID-19 is prevalent within society. Section 3A of this document emphasizes the need to discuss the risk of contracting COVID-19 while patients are in hospital. We conducted a multi-cycle closed-loop audit to examine the adherence to this guidance.

Method

We completed four audit cycles, each comprising data collection and educational intervention to disseminate the guidance. Data was obtained from consent forms for patients who had consented to both emergency and elective surgery over a two-month period at a large NHS Trust in London. The intervention consisted of teaching sessions, regular emails to the general surgical department, and posters displayed in common areas.

Results

Consent forms from 139 patients were reviewed over the four cycles (n = 38, 41, 28, and 32). The proportion of patients consented for the risk of contracting COVID-19 during the perioperative period rose serially between the cycles (37%, 61%, 71%, and 85% respectively), and was significantly increased between the first and last cycle (p < 0.01, two-sided Z-test). The interventions proved most effective for senior house officers who improved from consenting 8% initially to 100% on completion of the audit.

Conclusions

We demonstrate the marked effectiveness of simple interventions combined with serial auditing to disseminate this message. The same practice may help improve consenting practice at other centres whilst COVID-19 is prevalent in society.

Fully automated left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain predicts obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing stress echocardiography: a multi-centre study

Background

Assessment of LVEF and myocardial deformation with GLS has shown promise in predicting CAD, which may add prognostic information for patients undergoing SE. However, selection bias precludes an accurate assessment of routine clinical SE workflow due to the exclusion of poor image quality and contrast enhanced studies. We hypothesise that an artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline capable of fully automated contouring of the left ventricle and GLS analysis of both non-contrast and contrast SE images is feasible and can predict CAD.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prediction of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) from fully automated left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) measures in a large multicentre population of patients undergoing stress echocardiography (SE).

Methods

500 patients from five medical centres undergoing SE for the clinical evaluation of ischaemic heart disease were included in this study. LVEF and GLS was automatically calculated using AI in non-contrast and contrast images at rest and peak stress. The primary endpoint was CAD assessed using invasive coronary angiography.

Results

Patients with significant CAD demonstrated significantly reduced LVEF and GLS at rest and peak stress (all p&lt;0.001) compared to those without CAD. Of the 130 patients who exhibited myocardial ischaemia at peak stress, patients without significant CAD (37%) had significantly reduced LVEF and GLS when compared to those who did. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that a peak LVEF (0.93; 95% CI 0.9–0.96) and peak GLS (1.15; 95% CI 1.07–1.24) were significant independent predictors of CAD. The addition of automated LVEF and GLS to basic models significantly improved the C statistic from 0.78 to 0.83 and 0.85 (both p&lt;0.001), respectively.

Conclusions

Fully automated LVEF and GLS in non-contrast and contrast SE images is feasible and independently augment the prediction of obstructive CAD above and beyond traditional SE indexes.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Is the Management of Rectal Cancer Using a Watch and Wait Approach Feasible, Safe and Effective in a Publicly Funded General Hospital?

AIMS

Although there is emerging evidence to suggest equivalent oncological outcomes using a watch and wait approach compared with primary total mesorectal excision surgery, there is a paucity of evidence about the safety and efficacy of this approach in routine clinical practice. Here we report the long-term outcomes and quality of life from patients managed with watch and wait following a clinical complete response (cCR) to neoadjuvant therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with adenocarcinoma of the rectum with cCR following neoadjuvant therapy managed using watch and wait were retrospectively identified. Demographic data, performance status, pretreatment staging information, oncological and surgical outcomes were obtained from routinely collected clinical data. Quality of life was measured by trained clinicians during telephone interviews.

RESULTS

Over a 7-year period, 506 patients were treated for rectal cancer, 276 had neoadjuvant therapy and 72 had a cCR (26.1%). Sixty-three were managed with watch and wait. Thirteen patients had mucosal regrowth. There was no significant difference in the incidence of metastatic disease between the surgical and watch and wait cohorts (P = 0.38). The 13 patients with mucosal regrowth underwent salvage surgery. Eleven of the patients who underwent surgical resection had R0 resections. There was also a statistically and clinically significant improvement in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Colorectal (FACT-C) trial outcome index (P = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that watch and wait is safe and effective outside of tertiary referral centres. It suggests that an opportunistic cCR is durable and when mucosal regrowth occurs it can be salvaged. Finally, we have shown that quality of life is probably improved if a watch and wait approach is adopted.

Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) in children: a vulnerable population with its own rights and legislation - summary of EMA-initiated multi-stakeholder meeting on Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) for children, held at Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany, 16.1.2019

Concerning development of medicinal products, children belong to a so-called "special population" for which additional legislation applies: Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006 on medicinal products for paediatric use sets up a system of requirements, rewards and incentives to ensure that medicinal products are researched, developed and authorized to meet the therapeutic needs of children. Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) is believed to contain a strong potential for immunomodulatory effects inducing sustained clinical efficacy after cessation of treatment (disease modifying effect) and thereby may prevent the progression of the atopic march towards asthma manifestation. However, to this day only few data on long-term effects in general exist and even fewer in children. These are predominantly data from open studies, which are strongly influenced in their validity by the known placebo effect of AIT. Furthermore, there are no studies allowing for the conclusion that efficacy in adults are mirrored by a similar efficacy in children and thus, up to now, it is not possible to extrapolate data from adults to children. The Paediatric Committee (PDCO)-European Medicines Agency's (EMA) scientific committee responsible for activities on medicines for children-initiated a Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on AIT for Children held at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in Langen, Germany, to provide a platform for discussion and exchange of thoughts to this topic between allergy experts from academia, regulators and AIT-manufacturers. The consented meeting minutes, conclusions and participants are presented.

Identification of novel translocation between short arm of chromosome 4 and long arm of chromosome 6 in an infertile man using Interphase Chromosome Profiling (ICP)

Conventional cytogenetics has always been a favourite to detect chromosomal aberrations. Carriers of chromosomal translocation are often phenotypically normal but are infertile. Couples are often advised to go for karyotyping, but culture failure or improper metaphase spread with poor banding often makes the analysis difficult. We report here a novel translocation between short arm of chromosome 4 and long arm of chromosome 6 in an infertile man using an advanced molecular cytogenetic technique of Interphase Chromosome Profiling (ICP).

Effects of work-family conflict and job insecurity on psychological distress

Background

Work-family conflict (WFC) and job insecurity are important determinants of workers' mental health.

Aims

To examine the relationship between WFC and psychological distress, and the co-occurring effects of WFC and job insecurity on distress in US working adults.

Methods

This study used cross-sectional data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) for adults aged 18-64 years. The 2010 NHIS included occupational data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sponsored Occupational Health Supplement. Logistic regression models were used to examine the independent and co-occurring effects of WFC and job insecurity on distress.

Results

The study group consisted of 12059 participants. In the model fully adjusted for relevant occupational, behavioural, sociodemographic and health covariates, WFC and job insecurity were independently significantly associated with increased odds of psychological distress. Relative to participants reporting WFC only, participants reporting no WFC and no job insecurity had lower odds of moderate and severe distress. Co-occurring WFC and job insecurity was associated with significantly higher odds of both moderate [odds ratio (OR) = 1.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-1.9] and severe (OR = 3.57; 95% CI 2.66-4.79) distress.

Conclusions

Rates of WFC and job insecurity were influenced by differing factors in working adults; however, both significantly increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes, particularly when experienced jointly. Future studies should explore the temporal association between co-occurring WFC and job insecurity and psychological distress.

Family-led rehabilitation after stroke in India (ATTEND): a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Most people with stroke in India have no access to organised rehabilitation services. The effectiveness of training family members to provide stroke rehabilitation is uncertain. Our primary objective was to determine whether family-led stroke rehabilitation, initiated in hospital and continued at home, would be superior to usual care in a low-resource setting.

METHODS

The Family-led Rehabilitation after Stroke in India (ATTEND) trial was a prospectively randomised open trial with blinded endpoint done across 14 hospitals in India. Patients aged 18 years or older who had had a stroke within the past month, had residual disability and reasonable expectation of survival, and who had an informal family-nominated caregiver were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care by site coordinators using a secure web-based system with minimisation by site and stroke severity. The family members of participants in the intervention group received additional structured rehabilitation training-including information provision, joint goal setting, carer training, and task-specific training-that was started in hospital and continued at home for up to 2 months. The primary outcome was death or dependency at 6 months, defined by scores 3-6 on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) as assessed by masked observers. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2013/04/003557), Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12613000078752), and Universal Trial Number (U1111-1138-6707).

FINDINGS

Between Jan 13, 2014, and Feb 12, 2016, 1250 patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n=623) or control (n=627) groups. 33 patients were lost to follow-up (14 intervention, 19 control) and five patients withdrew (two intervention, three control). At 6 months, 285 (47%) of 607 patients in the intervention group and 287 (47%) of 605 controls were dead or dependent (odds ratio 0·98, 95% CI 0·78-1·23, p=0·87). 72 (12%) patients in the intervention group and 86 (14%) in the control group died (p=0·27), and we observed no difference in rehospitalisation (89 [14%]patients in the intervention group vs 82 [13%] in the control group; p=0·56). We also found no difference in total non-fatal events (112 events in 82 [13%] intervention patients vs 110 events in 79 [13%] control patients; p=0·80).

INTERPRETATION

Although task shifting is an attractive solution for health-care sustainability, our results do not support investment in new stroke rehabilitation services that shift tasks to family caregivers, unless new evidence emerges. A future avenue of research should be to investigate the effects of task shifting to health-care assistants or team-based community care.

FUNDING

The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

Allergen exposure chambers: harmonizing current concepts and projecting the needs for the future - an EAACI Position Paper

BACKGROUND

Allergen exposure chambers (AECs) are clinical facilities allowing for controlled exposure of subjects to allergens in an enclosed environment. AECs have contributed towards characterizing the pathophysiology of respiratory allergic diseases and the pharmacological properties of new therapies. In addition, they are complementary to and offer some advantages over traditional multicentre field trials for evaluation of novel therapeutics. To date, AEC studies conducted have been monocentric and have followed protocols unique to each centre. Because there are technical differences among AECs, it may be necessary to define parameters to standardize the AECs so that studies may be extrapolated for driving basic immunological research and for marketing authorization purposes by regulatory authorities.

METHODS

For this task force initiative of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), experts from academia and regulatory agencies met with chamber operators to list technical, clinical and regulatory unmet needs as well as the prerequisites for clinical validation.

RESULTS

The latter covered the validation process, standardization of challenges and outcomes, intra- and interchamber variability and reproducibility, in addition to comparability with field trials and specifics of paediatric trials and regulatory issues.

CONCLUSION

This EAACI Position Paper aims to harmonize current concepts in AECs and to project unmet needs with the intent to enhance progress towards use of these facilities in determining safety and efficacy of new therapeutics in the future.

Minor allergen patterns in birch pollen allergen products-A question of pollen?

BACKGROUND

Contrary to the scientific differentiation between major and minor allergens, the regulatory framework controlling allergen products in the EU distinguishes relevant and non-relevant allergens. Given the lack of knowledge on their clinical relevance, minor allergens are usually not controlled by allergen product specifications. Especially, in birch pollen (BP) allergen products, minor allergens are commonly disregarded.

OBJECTIVES

To quantify three minor allergens in BP allergen products from different manufacturers and to assess the influence of the utilized BP on minor allergen patterns.

METHODS

Apart from common quality parameters such as Bet v 1 content, Bet v 4, Bet v 6 and Bet v 7 were quantified in 70 BP allergen product batches from six manufacturers, using ELISA systems developed in-house. Batch-to-batch variability was checked for agreement with a variability margin of 50%-200% from mean of the given batches for individual allergen content. Subsequently, minor allergen patterns were generated via multidimensional scaling and related to information on the pollen lots used in production of the respective product batches.

RESULTS

Like the already established Bet v 4 ELISA, the ELISA systems for quantification of Bet v 6 and Bet v 7 were successfully validated. Differences in minor allergen content between products and batch-to-batch consistency were observed. Correlations between minor and major allergen content were low to moderate. About 20% of batches exceeded the variability margin for at least one minor allergen. Interestingly, these fluctuations could not in all cases be linked to the use of certain BP lots.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The impact of the observed minor allergen variability on safety and efficacy of BP allergen products can currently not be estimated. As the described differences could only in few cases be related to the used pollen lots, it is evident that additional factors influence minor allergens in BP allergen products.

Epidemiological and survival analysis of triple-negative breast cancer cases in a retrospective multicenter study

INTRODUCTION

This is a retrospective study with data collected from breast cancer cases from five major Apollo Hospitals across India, as part of a biobanking process. One aspect of our study focused specifically on data from triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cases. The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiology, treatment options, and survival of the patients with TNBC. Our goal was to draw conclusions on the preponderance of the disease and also to understand the outcomes using the existing therapy options.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data were collected after due ethical clearances and were coded with regard to patient identifiers to protect patient privacy. Data were not only from the various departments of the respective hospitals and the treating physicians but also from the follow-up made by hospital staff and social workers.

RESULTS

About 20% of all cases of breast cancer comprised TNBC. Although the disease is generally thought to be an early onset disease, there was no major difference in the median age of diagnosis of TNBC compared to other breast cancer cases. More than 85% of the TNBC cases were of early stage disease with <4% of the cases of metastatic cancer. Data on follow-up were somewhat sporadic as a good number of cases were lost to follow-up, but from the available data, recurrence rate was about 11%. Death, when it occurred, was mostly in the early periods of treatment with 35% of the events occurring before 3 years. The overall survival rates beyond 3 years were more than 86%.

CONCLUSIONS

Data and sample collection are an ongoing process, so we expect this data set to be enriched with more cases and longer duration of follow-up in a year. Preliminary analysis sheds light on the potential of such a collection both for understanding the epidemiology of the disease and also for conducting future studies with an eye toward improving treatment outcomes.

Validation of ELISA methods for quantification of the major birch allergen Bet v 1 (BSP090)

To date, the potency of allergen products in Europe is expressed in manufacturer-specific units relative to a product-specific in-house reference. Consequently, cross-product comparability of allergen products from different manufacturers with respect to strength and efficacy is impossible. The Biological Standardisation Programme (BSP) project BSP090 addresses this issue via the establishment of reference standards in conjunction with ELISA methods for the quantification of major allergens in allergen products. Since the initiation of BSP090, the recombinant major allergen Bet v 1 has been adopted by the European Pharmacopoeia Commission as a Chemical Reference Substance (CRS). In parallel, two sandwich ELISA systems for quantification of Bet v 1 were found suitable in preliminary phases of BSP090 to be validated in a large collaborative study. In this study, the candidate ELISA systems were compared with respect to accuracy, precision and variability. Thirteen participating laboratories tested model samples containing the CRS as well as spiked and unspiked birch pollen extracts. Both in pre-testing and in the collaborative study, the 2 candidate ELISA systems confirmed their suitability to quantify recombinant and native Bet v 1. As no clear-cut decision for one of the ELISA systems could be made based on the results of the collaborative study, a post-study testing was performed. Bet v 1 content of 30 birch pollen allergen products was determined in parallel in both ELISA systems. Consequently, 1 candidate ELISA system was selected to be proposed as the future European Pharmacopoeia standard method for Bet v 1 quantification.

Standardization of allergen products: 3. Validation of candidate European Pharmacopoeia standard methods for quantification of major birch allergen Bet v 1

BACKGROUND

The BSP090 project aims at establishing European Pharmacopoeia Reference Substances in combination with the corresponding ELISA methods for the quantification of major allergens in allergen products. Two sandwich ELISAs proved suitable for quantification of Bet v 1, the major birch pollen allergen, in preceding phases of BSP090.

METHODS

Two Bet v 1-specific ELISA systems were compared with respect to accuracy and precision in a ring trial including 13 laboratories. Model samples containing recombinant rBet v 1.0101 as well as native birch pollen extracts were measured independently at least three times in each facility. The assessment was completed with a comparative quantification of Bet v 1 in 30 marketed birch allergen products in one laboratory, simulating the future use as reference method.

RESULTS

In the collaborative study, both candidate ELISAs confirmed their suitability to quantify recombinant and native Bet v 1. ELISA-A showed higher precision and lower interlaboratory variability, yet ELISA-B exhibited slightly higher accuracy. Subsequent parallel measurement of Bet v 1 in a panel of 'real-life' birch allergen products indicated better repeatability of ELISA-B. Both systems detected substantial differences in Bet v 1 content between allergen products, but the effect was more pronounced using ELISA-B due to persistently higher values compared to ELISA-A.

CONCLUSIONS

In the collaborative study, no deciding differences were observed between the two candidate ELISAs. Further comparison under conditions simulating the intended use combined with the criterion of long-term availability enabled the selection of one Bet v 1-specific ELISA for proposal as European Pharmacopoeia standard method.

Increasing resistance to ciprofloxacin and other antibiotics in Neisseria gonorrhoeae from East Java and Papua, Indonesia, in 2004 – implications for treatment

We examined gonococci isolated in 2004, in East Java and Papua, Indonesia, to review the suitability of ciprofloxacin-based and other treatment regimens. Gonococci from the two provinces were tested in Sydney for susceptibility to penicillin, tetracycline, spectinomycin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, azithromycin and rifampicin. Of 163 gonococcal isolates from East Java (91) and Papua (72), 120 (74%) of gonococci, 62 (68%) and 58 (80%) from East Java and Papua, respectively, were penicillinase-producing gonococci and 162 displayed high-level tetracycline resistance. Eighty-seven isolates (53%) were ciprofloxacin resistant, 44 (48%) from East Java and 43 (60%) from Papua. All isolates were sensitive to cefixime/ceftriaxone, spectinomycin and azithromycin. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of gentamicin were in the range 0.05–8 mg/L. Sixty-nine gonococci (42%) showed combined resistance, to penicillin, tetracycline and quinolones. Quinolone resistance has now reached unacceptable levels, and their use for the treatment of gonorrhoea in Indonesia should be reconsidered.

Identification of the predicted 5s-4f level crossing optical lines with applications to metrology and searches for the variation of fundamental constants

We measure optical spectra of Nd-like W, Re, Os, Ir, and Pt ions of particular interest for studies of a possibly varying fine-structure constant. Exploiting characteristic energy scalings we identify the strongest lines, confirm the predicted 5s-4f level crossing, and benchmark advanced calculations. We infer two possible values for optical M2/E3 and E1 transitions in Ir^{17+} that have the highest predicted sensitivity to a variation of the fine-structure constant among stable atomic systems. Furthermore, we determine the energies of proposed frequency standards in Hf^{12+} and W^{14+}.

Molecular characterization of repetitive DNA sequences from B chromosome in Plantago lagopus L

In Plantagolagopus the B chromosome has been reported by our laboratory to be the result of massive amplification of ribosomal DNA sequences. However, the presence of transposable elements and other repetitive DNA sequences together with rDNA could not be ruled out. The present study clearly demonstrated the presence of transposable elements in the B chromosomes. These transposable elements were characterized and their nature assessed. Physical mapping using double fluorescent in situ hybridization was performed using DNA probes for 5S and copia elements. The results clearly proved that the B chromosome is a mix of 5S, 45S rDNA and transposable elements. Based on the FISH and Fiber-FISH patterns, it can be concluded that while 45S rDNA sequences are restricted to the subtelomeric regions, the 5S rDNA sequences are interspersed with transposons in the body of the B chromosome. These results have further enhanced our understanding of the organization and evolution of B chromosomes.

[The therapy allergens ordinance ("Therapieallergene-Verordnung"). Background and effects]

Medicinal products for specific immunotherapy as causal treatment of allergies exist in Germany as authorized medicinal products manufactured batchwise in advance and as named patient products (NPPs) which are exempted from the authorization procedure. With the therapy allergens ordinance ("Therapieallergene-Verordnung (TAV)") which has been in effect since 14 November 2008, this exemption was restricted to therapy allergens indicated for the treatment of rare allergies. NPPs containing at least one of the therapy allergens listed in the annex of the TAV had to be notified to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) by 14 May 2009 to retain their marketability. It had to be stated whether applications for marketing authorization will be submitted for the respective NPPs or if they will be sold off by 14 November 2011. The bulks which are used for manufacturing of the NPPs have been subject to official batch release by PEI since October 2009. Nearly 7,000 NPPs of 10 pharmaceutical entrepreneurs were notified. Marketing authorization applications were submitted for 123 NPPs. This illustrates that, although there are authorized therapy allergens available for all allergens listed in the annex of the TAV, a large number of NPPs with unknown quality, safety, and efficacy have been marketed.

Establishment of recombinant major allergens Bet v 1 and Phl p 5a as Ph. Eur. reference standards and validation of ELISA methods for their measurement. Results from feasibility studies

The potency of allergen extracts is determined as total allergenic activity without consideration of their composition and the units differ from one manufacturer to another, making it very difficult to compare the different products. Recently, purified major allergens have been obtained by recombinant DNA technology and produced under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) conditions. In principle, such recombinant allergens could be established as reference standards and could help for the standardisation of the major allergen content of allergen extracts. Two recombinant major allergens, one from birch pollen, rBet v 1, and one from Timothy grass pollen, Phl p 5a, have been selected at the end of the CREATE programme as a potential starting point for the establishment as European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) Reference Standards through a project run by the Biological Standardisation Programme (BSP) of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM). To this end, bulk candidate recombinant materials, produced under GMP conditions, were procured from two European manufacturers and subsequently formulated and lyophilised. Four ELISA systems from three different manufacturers were included in the project, two for Bet v 1 and two for Phl p 5a with the aim of establishing reference methods for determination of the respective major antigens both in natural allergen extracts as well as in recombinant allergen products. The project was run in 3 phases: a preparatory and preliminary testing phase (feasibility phase or Phase 1), an extended feasibility phase carried out in 3 laboratories (Phase 2) to confirm the transferability of the methods and an international collaborative study with a large number of participating laboratories (Phase 3). This article describes the work done in Phase 1 and Phase 2, i.e. the physico-chemical and biological characterisation of the recombinant candidate reference standards, the assessment of their suitability for the intended purpose as well as the evaluation of the candidate ELISA systems. The results show that both candidate reference standards are suitable for the intended purpose. In addition, three out of the four ELISA systems that were included in the preliminary phase were found to be appropriate for further evaluation in the collaborative study which was organised in 2011. The results of the collaborative study will be published separately.

Regulatory environment for allergen-specific immunotherapy

Products for specific immunotherapy (SIT) are medicinal products according to the European Regulations. To obtain a marketing authorization (MA) within the European Community, the quality, safety and efficacy have to be proven. During the development phase of a medicinal product, applicants have the opportunity to apply for scientific advice by national competent authorities or the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to compile a suitable development plan for the examination of quality and performance of nonclinical and clinical trials. Moreover, a paediatric investigation plan has to be submitted to the Paediatric Committee of the EMA and has to be approved before submission of an application for MA. Several regulatory procedures exist for obtaining a MA in the European Community. The national procedure leads only to marketability in one country whereas the Mutual Recognition, the Decentralized and Centralized Procedures (CP) are intended for MA in several or all member states of the European Union. The CP is mandatory for certain medicinal products, for example for drug substances derived by biotechnological processes such as recombinant allergens. Named Patient Products for SIT are a specialty because they are manufactured on the basis of an individual prescription and marketed without a MA.