Worldwide there’s a growing number of allergy sufferers – many of them children. One in seven people suffers from some form of allergy, and one in ten from a food allergy.1 The Kenota System provides accurate allergy sensitization information at the point of care to improve patient diagnosis, care and treatment plans.
The allergy market is immense, well established and underserved from a technology perspective. And because testing allergy sensitization is well understood by the market, our system faces far fewer barriers to adoption.
People have food allergies in the U.S.2
Patients are tested for allergies every year in the U.S.3
Increase in food allergy among children in the U.S. between 1997-1999 and 2009-2011.4
1. https://www.aafa.org/allergy-facts
2. Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, Jiang J, Blumenstock JA, Davis MM, Schleimer RP, Nadeau KC. Prevalence and Severity of Food Allergies Among US Adults. JAMA Network Open 2019;
3. Internal estimate based on interviews with US allergists
4. Jackson KD, Howie LD, Akinbami LJ. Trends in allergic conditions among children: United States,1997-2011. NCHS data brief, no 121. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db121.htm
Today's most commonly used allergy tests are skin prick tests performed in the allergist's clinic and blood-based tests performed in a lab.
If you have an allergy, your immune system will overreact to an allergen by producing antibodies called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). These antibodies result in the release of chemicals that cause symptoms when a patient is exposed to the allergen. Reactions can range from mild to severe.
Skin prick tests are a first line test conducted in the allergist’s clinic. An allergen is applied to the skin, which is pricked and visually monitored for an atopic reaction.
Conducted in a lab, blood-based testing identifies the likely causes of IgE reactions to allergens. While it provides better diagnostic information, it requires more blood, is more invasive and less convenient and sends patients away from their allergist for the procedure.