Allerca

Allerca is a San Diego-based biotechnology company which claims to have bred hypoallergenic cats through a selective breeding process.

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According to company literature, the company's cats have significantly reduced levels of a particular protein that humans suffer allergic reactions to.^[1] The journal Nature reported in September, 2006 that in an Allerca-funded study, Sheldon Spector, a clinical allergy expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, found the company's cats to be less allergy-inducing than the control. However, neither the study nor its underlying data have been published^[2], and Spector himself advises caution as regards his study's interpretation as he used an experimental setup that is generally regarded as less than reliable^[3]. A July 2006 article in the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that no details about the cats have been released, nor have there been any peer-reviewed studies published about the company's work.^[4] Cat experts also questioned whether the company's breeding model - stated at the time to be up to 10,000 cats by 2009 - was viable.^{[citation needed]} Time named the company's cats among its list of Best Inventions for 2006.^[5] Allerca is unable to provide a GD kitten to clients whose allergy test "results indicate a level that includes HIGH".^[6]

Fel d 1

Most human cat allergies are caused by Fel d 1. Allerca (and earlier, Geneticas) scientists tried to delete or disable the gene. The company now says it has discovered a breed of cats that had a mutant version of the protein that did not induce an allergic response. Since a number of Fel d 1 alleles are known and documented whereas it is presently impossible to deduce allergenicity from their DNA or protein sequence alone, the alleged mutant cats are actually quite likely to exist, but their hypoallergenicity cannot be considered proven for the time being.

References

1. ^ Exposure Trial by Leading Allergist Shows ALLERCA Cat Is Hypoallergenic Allerca, Sept. 14, 2006
2. ^ Allergy-free pets surprisingly simple, Nature, Michael Hopkin, Sept. 26, 2006
3. ^ Felis Enigmaticus, The Scientist Volume 21(1): Page 32, Kerry Grens.
4. ^ Questions trail local entrepreneur, San Diego Union-Tribune, Penni Crabtree, July 16, 2006
5. ^ TIME Best Inventions 2006
6. ^ Allerca sales e-mail