This is a multisite, randomized, double-blind, controlled cross-over trial with detailed characterization of participants with varying clinical sub-phenotypes of Alpha-gal Syndrome (AGS) who are then evaluated by oral food challenges with alpha-gal Knock Out (KO) pork versus Wild Type (WT) pork. Each participant will serve as their own control and ingest both alpha-gal-KO and WT pork on different days, with a minimum of an 8-day washout period between oral food challenges. The primary objective is to determine whether the odds of positive challenges among participants with suspected alpha-gal syndrome are lower with alpha-gal Knock Out (KO) pork as compared to Wild Type (WT) pork during Double Blind Food Challenge (DBFC)
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
160
Each participant will serve as their own control and ingest both alpha-gal-KO and WT pork on different days, with a minimum of an 8-day washout period between oral food challenges
Each participant will serve as their own control and ingest both alpha-gal-KO and WT pork on different days, with a minimum of an 8-day washout period between oral food challenges
Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute: Department of Pediatrics, Allergy & Immunology
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
North Carolina Children's Hospital: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Vanderbilt University Medical Center: Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonary Medicine
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
University of Virginia Health System: Division of Asthma & Immunology
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Positive Double Blind Food Challenge (DBFC) result to 150 grams of either alpha-gal knockout (KO) pork or wild type (WT) pork.
A positive challenge will be defined as experiencing symptoms grade 2 or higher on the Consortium for Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) Grading Scale for Systemic Allergic Reactions (scale range from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating a more severe reaction) within 6 hours of ingestion.
Time frame: At Visit 1 (within 2 months of screening) or Visit 2 (between 8 and 30 days of Visit 1)
Alpha-gal sub-phenotype as determined by symptoms resulting from Double Blind Food Challenge (DBFC) to wild-type (WT) pork.
Post-challenge alpha-gal sub-phenotypes as defined by reaction to their first DBFC to WT pork: anaphylaxis, cutaneous-only, or GI-only.
Time frame: At Visit 1 (within 2 months of screening) or Visit 2 (between 8 and 30 days of Visit 1)
Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (GSRS-IBS) scores in response to 150 grams of Knock Out (KO) or Wild Type (WT) pork at each challenge visit
Validated patient-reported outcome measures: gastrointestinal symptoms based on GSRS-IBS score (score range from 15 to 105, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome).
Time frame: At 7 days following completion of Double Blind Food Challenge (DBFC) at Visit 1 (within 2 months of screening) or Visit 2 (between 8 and 30 days of Visit 1)
Urticaria Activity Score (UAS7) in response to 150 grams of Knock Out (KO) or Wild Type (WT) pork at each challenge visit.
Validated patient-reported outcome measures: urticaria symptoms based on UAS7 score (score range from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome).
Time frame: At 7 days following completion of Double Blind Food Challenge (DBFC) at Visit 1 (within 2 months of screening) or Visit 2 (between 8 and 30 days of Visit 1)
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