A project aimed at locating food allergens using innovative skin applications, developed by St. Pete’s Vega (part of Alkor Bio Group), has been awarded by the St. Petersburg government as the city’s best biotech and medical innovation project, Rusnanonet Russian National Nanotech Network reports.

The $317k award reportedly comes on a 50/50 basis from St. Petersburg and from federal coffers.

The new diagnostics method is said to identify late allergic reactions of a delayed type, a step forward from today’s predominant techniques that only pinpoint immediate hypersensitive allergic reactions. According to Vega’s project manager, Lyudmila Kochish, with a wide variety of existing domestic and imported test systems only about 50% of food allergy and atopic dermatitis cases can be correctly diagnosed. Vega’s new skin application has been designed to help the other 50%, she said.

The innovation is a plaster with cells that is fixed on a patient’s back. Each cell contains a certain ready-to-use allergen. Forty-eight hours later the plaster is removed, and a physician analyzes skin manifestations to conclude what the person is allergic to.

According to Ms. Kochish, “the development is unique for Russia; nothing of the kind has ever been used here to diagnose allergies.”

Among Alkor Bio Group’s prior innovation projects are a new drug to treat malignant growths on the brain and do symptomatic treatment of a wide range of tumors; a nanobiotech-based innovation providing DNA microchips to diagnose mucoviscidosis and human reproductive function disorders; and some others.