title: AllergenOnline: A peer-reviewed, curated allergen database to assess novel food proteins for potential cross-reactivity.
abstract: Increasingly regulators are demanding evaluation of potential allergenicity of foods prior to marketing. Primary risks are the transfer of allergens or potentially cross-reactive proteins into new foods. AllergenOnline was developed in 2005 as a peer-reviewed bioinformatics platform to evaluate risks of new dietary proteins in genetically modified organisms (GMO) and novel foods.
  
  
  
  The process used to identify suspected allergens and evaluate the evidence of allergenicity was refined between 2010 and 2015. Candidate proteins are identified from the NCBI database using keyword searches, the WHO/IUIS nomenclature database and peer reviewed publications. Criteria to classify proteins as allergens are described. Characteristics of the protein, the source and human subjects, test methods and results are evaluated by our expert panel and archived. Food, inhalant, salivary, venom, and contact allergens are included. Users access allergen sequences through links to the NCBI database and relevant references are listed online. Version 16 includes 1956 sequences from 778 taxonomic-protein groups that are accepted with evidence of allergic serum IgE-binding and/or biological activity.
  
  
  
  AllergenOnline provides a useful peer-reviewed tool for identifying the primary potential risks of allergy for GMOs and novel foods based on criteria described by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (2003).
authors.affiliation: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Richard E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Sagamihara National Hospital, Sagamihara, Japan.
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebisawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Hugh A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.affiliation: Departments of Experimental Immunology and of Otorhinolaryngology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Ree
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vieths
authors.affiliation: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bohle
authors.affiliation: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Sreedevi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lalithambika
authors.affiliation: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
authors.forename: Steve L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D019295:Computational Biology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D005060:Europe; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology; D020407:Internet; D010380:Peer Review; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D004044:Dietary Proteins
keywords: Allergens; Bioinformatics; Food allergy; Genetically modified; Risk assessment