Allergy Unit team, led by Dr Husna Farhanah Ahmad
INTRODUCTION
Allergy unit was established in 2001 with the formation of the specialised allergy laboratory in IMR and first allergy clinic within the Ministry of Health in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. The staff in the Allergy Unit consists of a pathologist, medical officers, research officers, science officer and medical laboratory technologists.
Allergy Unit is the referral centre in Ministry of Health offering specialised diagnostic test on allergy. This unit provides specialised laboratory testing for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of allergy diseases. The current diagnostic tests include total Ig E, specific Ig E, mast cell tryptase and eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP). These tests are offered to government hospitals, private hospitals and private laboratories. For allergen specific Ig E, the allergy unit offered a wide range of allergens for testing including aeroallergens, environmental allergens, food allergens, drug allergens, and component allergens for component resolved diagnosis (CRD). Besides the in vitro diagnostic test, the Allergy unit currently operates an allergy clinic in National Institute of Health (NIH).
Research and innovation activities have also been carried out on the local allergens for production for utilisation in the skin prick test (SPT) performed in our clinic and also other government hospitals. These allergens are in the progress towards commercialisation. Evaluation and optimisation of new available diagnostic tests on drug allergy are ongoing. Collaborative research works with other IMR centres and universities on the allergy diseases are ongoing. New collaborations are welcome.
The staff of the Allergy Unit have been actively involved in teaching both medical and health science students from local universities and conduct consultation program periodically.
