Population-based IgE profiling in Türkiye demonstrates a novel approach to linking molecular sensitization patterns with environmental conditions – with Karl Landsteiner University as a key partner.
Krems (Austria), 11 December 2025 – Allergic sensitization follows distinct regional patterns, and molecular IgE profiling can reveal these profiles in detail. An international research team has now demonstrated both phenomena in a population-based study of 1,000 adults from five cities in Türkiye that represent distinct climate zones. Using high-resolution molecular allergy diagnostics, the researchers identified characteristic regional differences in immunoreactions to allergens by measuring IgE reactivity patterns. The work was co-led by scientists at Karl Landsteiner University (KL Krems) and the Medical University of Vienna, who contributed an allergen microarray that allows simultaneous testing of more than 100 defined molecules. Beyond the specific findings for Türkiye, the study illustrates how molecular allergology can be integrated into population cohorts to characterize regional patterns of allergic sensitization and to develop more context-aware diagnosis, risk assessment and prevention strategies.
Allergic diseases are rising worldwide, but their frequency and clinical presentation vary from region to region, shaped by environmental factors such as climate, vegetation, air quality and lifestyle. Traditional allergy tests are often based on whole allergen extracts and do not reveal which specific molecules trigger a person’s IgE response. Molecular allergology fills this gap: by testing specific antibody (IgE) reactivity against individual allergen components, it becomes possible to map sensitization patterns with much finer resolution. The new study applies this approach in a systematic, cross-sectional population survey in Türkiye, a country at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. Researchers from KL Krems and the Medical University of Vienna, together with partners at Turkish and international centers, designed the project to explore how regional “exposomes” (the sum of all environmental influences) shape IgE profiles – and how this information can support precise allergy care.
Regional Fingerprints of Sensitization
“We see very distinct molecular sensitization signatures when we compare the five study centers,” says Prof. Rudolf Valenta from the MedUni Vienna, who also heads the Scientific Working Group on Allergology and Immunology at KL Krems and participated in the study as senior co-author. “This is the first comprehensive, prospective, population-based study in Türkiye using a broad panel of defined allergen molecules, and it shows how closely climate and environment are reflected in IgE reactivity patterns. Such information is crucial if we want to refine allergy diagnostics and allergen immunotherapy at a regional level.”
The team recruited adults with and without self-reported allergic symptoms in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Samsun and Kayseri. All participants completed a standardized symptom questionnaire, underwent skin prick testing to common inhalant allergens and had their serum analyzed on the microarray. This platform measures IgE binding to 108 allergen molecules from pollens, mites, pets, molds and foods. Across centers, sensitization was more frequent, involved higher IgE levels and was more complex (with more different allergen molecules recognized) in individuals with allergic symptoms than in asymptomatic controls. Notably, however, between 31 and 55 percent of people without any reported allergy symptoms still showed IgE sensitization to at least one allergen molecule – underscoring that laboratory sensitization and clinical disease do not always coincide.
Kayseri Stands Out
When the researchers compared the five cities, Kayseri consistently showed the lowest prevalence of symptomatic individuals, the lowest sensitization rates and the lowest degree of polysensitization. Overall patterns of sensitization to respiratory allergens also differed between centers, reflecting their distinct environmental and climatic conditions. Against this backdrop, the comparatively mild sensitization profile seen in Kayseri – a city at 800–1,000 meters altitude with a continental climate – was particularly striking.
“Kayseri emerges as a genuinely hypoallergenic region in our dataset,” says Huey-Jy Huang, PhD, of the Center for Molecular Allergology at the KL Krems and co-first author of the study. “The combination of fewer symptoms and clearly reduced molecular sensitization suggests that the local environmental and climatic conditions tend to limit the development of allergic sensitization, at least to some extent. Understanding these factors in more detail could open new perspectives for allergy prevention. This is precisely the kind of question we want to pursue within our international collaborations at KL Krems.”
Beyond identifying a hypoallergenic high-altitude region, the study illustrates how molecular allergy diagnostics can be integrated into population studies to dissect regional risk profiles. For KL Krems, this fits directly with its research focus on fields with high relevance to health policy. Within this framework, the Center for Molecular Allergology and the Danube Allergy Research Cluster act as hubs in an international network that investigates how environment and climate shape allergic disease. In the long run, such IgE-based “sensitization maps” could help clinicians and health systems to focus diagnostic resources on regionally relevant allergens, adapt immunotherapy strategies and, eventually, identify environmental approaches that mitigate allergy risk.
Kazancioglu A, Huang HJ, Aksakal S, Bulut I, Buzan MR, Chen KW, Cotarcă MD, Dubovets A, Gattinger P, Gulbahar O, Kalyoncu AF, Karaulov A, Kozlov E, Panaitescu C, Schlederer T, Trifonova D, Tulaev M, Turk M, Vrtala S, Weber M, Zbîrcea LE, Sekerel BE, Valenta R: Molecular IgE Reactivity Profiling With Micro-Arrayed Allergens Reveals Distinct Interregional Patterns of Sensitization and a Hypoallergenic Region in Türkiye. Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, doi:10.1111/all.70145. https://kris.kl.ac.at/en/publications/molecular-ige-reactivity-profiling-with-micro-arrayed-allergens-r/
More on KL Krems research: https://www.kl.ac.at/en/research/research-blog
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Danube Allergy Research Cluster program of the Country of Lower Austria. From the Russian Science Foundation in its part related to allergen characterization, by the INSPIRED (Innovative Strategies for Prevention, diagnosis and therapy of ragweed pollen Induced REspiratoryDiseases) project, from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Romanian national budget.
Karl Landsteiner University (12/2025)
The Karl Landsteiner University (KL Krems) is an internationally recognized educational and research institution located on the Campus Krems. KL Krems offers modern, demand-oriented education and continuing education in medicine and psychology as well as a PhD programme in Mental Health and Neuroscience. The flexible educational programme is tailored to the needs of students, the requirements of the labour market and the challenges of science. The three university hospitals in Krems, St. Pölten and Tulln and the MedAustron Ion Therapy and Research Centre in Wiener Neustadt guarantee clinical teaching and research of the highest quality. In its research, KL Krems focuses on interdisciplinary fields with high relevance to health policy – including mental health and neuroscience, molecular oncology as well as the topic of water quality and the associated health aspects. KL Krems was founded in 2013 and accredited by the Austrian Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation (AQ Austria).
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