First Hypoallergenic Cats Pass Allergy Tests
The allergy protocol involved exposing allergic patients to three rooms of cats for the same amount of time. Each patient in the exposure trial was blindfolded to avoid psychosomatic symptoms. The first room, the placebo room, featured a stuffed animal that felt like a cat. The second room housed Joshua, the ALLERCA hypoallergenic cat and the third room contained a regular cat, a Calico named Tiki.
The patients, all with clinically diagnosed cat allergy histories and positive skin tests, were unaware of the cat names, size, color or order of rooms. The exposure trial that took place in Los Angeles is one of several ongoing trials that will be submitted for publication by Dr. Spector. ALLERCA has been conducting internal trials over the last year but Dr. Spector’s exposure study is the first independent external study conducted to date.
"This observation exposure shows the ALLERCA cat has hypoallergenicity," said Dr. Sheldon Spector who led the study. "I believe our design is very unique and a first of its kind since observing exposure to a hypoallergenic cat is so new to our field."
ALLERCA’S success in discovering the first hypoallergenic cats started with its proprietary diagnostic technology that detected minute specific variations in the feline D1 gene, responsible for producing the protein that causes humans to react. ALLERCA detected genetic divergences in the "code" of the Fel D1 gene sequence and selectively bred these genetically divergent (GD) cats. By testing for the presence of this divergent "code" in the offspring, ALLERCA produced the world’s first scientifically proven hypoallergenic cats.
