Dr. Annette Kuehn, Principal Investigator of the Research Group “Molecular & Translational Allergology,” Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg
This is a summary of the curriculum vitae (CV) of Dr. Annette Kuehn, Ph.D., Principal Investigator of the Research Group “Molecular & Translational Allergology,” Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg.
Dr. Kuehn is an internationally recognized expert at the intersection of clinical food allergology and molecular science. She understands the different research angles, and “languages,” of basic immunologists and physicians, and helps to bring the results of basic allergology science to the clinic. She is an active member of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), and during 2022-24 was an elected EAACI interest group board member to develop approaches of allergy diagnosis and systems medicine for the wider community. She has been co-author and editor of the Molecular Allergology User Guide (>1000 citations). Although relatively young, her >90 publications are generating >600 citations per year already (Google Scholar).
It has been a pleasure and honor for Professor Yasuto Kondo of Fujita Health University, and me, to work with her on the most important allergens in fish meat, parvalbumins.
Below are descriptions of her research interests and career, written by Dr. Kuehn herself (style editing by me):
My Research Interests
The improvement of food allergy at the level of diagnosis, by molecule-based serological testing, including basic research on ‘what makes an allergen an allergen?’ and at the level of prognosis, by immunological understanding of underlying endotypes, towards new translational applications in prevention and therapy.
Short Summary of Achievements
My main contribution of knowledge relates to four domains:
1. The identification and characterization of previously unknown allergens.
2. Their diagnostic evaluation in the context of medical care.
3. The discovery of new clinical cross-reactivity patterns and more recently,
4. the discovery of new biomarker areas in patient endotyping [characterizing the underlying immune reasons, such as IgE antibodies and cytokine profiles, in individual patients].
My expertise in the molecular and immunological characterization of allergenic proteins has not
only deepened my understanding of ‘what makes an allergen an allergen?’ but also enabled me
to address the growing need for advanced, precise diagnoses for allergic patients. During my
bench-to-bedside research journey, my team and I made significant contributions to the incorporation of molecule-based diagnostics into clinical practice. We were able to demonstrate
that food allergy phenotypes correlate with blood IgE-antibody sensitization patterns. My current research focuses on integrating various patient endotyping methods, including detailed IgE profiles, immune cell phenotypes, and functional gut microbiome characteristics, with the goal of identifying key biomarkers and therapeutic targets for treatment and prevention.
My work characterized more than 15 new, clinically relevant allergens. Those are recognized for researchers worldwide by the WHO/IUIS allergen nomenclature subcommittee.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Education
2002-2004 PhD thesis at the Institute of Applied Microbiology, Saarbrücken, Saarland University, Germany
1996-2002 Pharmaceutical approbation; studies of Pharmacy, Saarbrücken, Saarland University, Germany
Academic Positions
2019-present PhD student supervision rights (Full) by the Faculté des Sciences, de la Technologie et da la communication, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg
2015-present Research Group Leader ‘Molecular & Translational Allergology’, Luxembourg
Institute of Health, Luxembourg
2005-2014 Researcher and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Laboratory of Immunogenetics and
Allergology, CRP-Santé, Luxembourg
2004-2005 Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Applied Microbiology, Saarbrücken, Saarland
University, Germany
Selected Recent Publications
- Czolk R, Codreanu-Morel F, de Nies L, Busi SB, Halder R, Hunewald O, Boehm TM, Hefeng FQ, De Beaufort C, Wilmes P, Ollert M, Kuehn A. Fecal IgE Analyses Reveal a Role for Stratifying Peanut-Allergic Patients. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2024 Jul 26:0. Online ahead of print
- Zuurveld M, Ogrodowczyk AM, Benedé S, Czolk R, Lucia Bavaro S, Randow S, Markiewicz LH, Wróblewska B, Molina E, Kuehn A, Holzhauser T, Willemsen LEM. Allergenic Shrimp Tropomyosin Distinguishes from a Non-Allergenic Chicken Homolog by Pronounced Intestinal Barrier Disruption and Downstream Th2 Responses in Epithelial and Dendritic Cell (Co)Culture. Nutrients. 2024 Apr 17;16(8):1192.
- Wanniang N, Boehm TM, Codreanu-Morel F, Divaret-Chauveau A, Assugeni I, Hilger C, Kuehn A. Immune signatures predicting the clinical outcome of peanut oral immunotherapy: where we stand. Front Allergy. 2023 Oct 2;4:1270344.
- Czolk R, Ruiz-Castell M, Hunewald O, Wanniang N, Le Coroller G, Hilger C, Vaillant M, Fagherazzi G, Morel-Codreanu F, Ollert M, Kuehn A. Novel, computational IgE-clustering in a population-based cross-sectional study: Mapping the allergy burden. Clin Transl Allergy. 2023 Sep;13(9):e12292.
- Klueber J, Czolk R, Codreanu-Morel F, Montamat G, Revets D, Konstantinou M, Cosma A, Hunewald O, Skov PS, Ammerlaan W, Hilger C, Bindslev-Jensen C, Ollert M, Kuehn A. High dimensional immune profiles correlate with phenotypes of peanut allergy during food-allergic reactions. Allergy. 2023 Apr;78(4):1020-1035.
- Kalic T, Kuehn A, Aumayr M, Bartra J, Bindslev-Jensen C, Codreanu-Morel F, Domínguez O, Forstenlechner P, Hemmer W, Kamath SD, Leung A, Leung N, Lifanov Y, Mortz CG, Pascal M, Ristl R, Sørensen M, Üzülmez Ö, Yeghiazaryan L, Wong G, Hafner C, Breiteneder H. Identification of Potentially Tolerated Fish Species by Multiplex IgE Testing of a Multinational Fish Allergic Patient Cohort. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022 Dec;10(12):3284-3292.
- Chentouh MM, Codreanu-Morel F, Boutebba A, Kler S, Revets D, Kuehn A, Ollert M, Hilger C. Allergenic risk assessment of cowpea and its cross-reactivity with pea and peanut. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2022 Dec;33(12):e13889.
