University of Salzburg View Institution's Website 2 articles published in JoVE Immunology and Infection Humanized Mediator Release Assay as a Read-Out for Allergen Potency Mario Wenger1, Athanasios Bethanis1, Litty Johnson1, Lorenz Aglas1 1Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg Here we present the mediator release assay, using a rat basophilic leukemia cell line transfected with the human IgE receptor, to simulate the degranulation of effector cells typically observed in type 1 allergic reactions. This method investigates the biological activity of allergens in a highly sensitive, reproducible, and tailorable manner. Immunology and Infection Basophil Activation Test for Investigation of IgE-Mediated Mechanisms in Drug Hypersensitivity Markus Steiner1, Andrea Harrer2, Roland Lang3, Michael Schneider4, Fátima Ferreira5, Thomas Hawranek3, Martin Himly1 1Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, 2Department of Neurology, Paracelsus Medical University, 3Department of Dermatology, Paracelsus Medical University, 4Bühlmann Laboratories, 5Christian Doppler Laboratory for Allergy Diagnosis and Therapy, University of Salzburg Basophil activation test is a potent tool for the detection of IgE-dependent allergies in vitro. Here, an optimized protocol for basophil activation test is used to investigate drug hypersensitivity. A method for the efficient production of covalent drug-protein conjugates and their physicochemical characterization is described.