13 September 2022
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is funding a definitive follow-on trial to TEST (Trial of Eczema allergy Screening Tests), which investigated the feasibility of evaluating the use of routine food allergy tests for the control of childhood eczema.
The new study, ‘Trial of food allergy (IgE) tests for Eczema Relief (TIGER)’, led by Professor Matthew Ridd from the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, will start recruiting participants in January 2023.
Parents commonly seek food allergy tests to find a cause for their child's eczema, yet the value of test-guided dietary advice is uncertain.
In 2021, the results from the TEST study were published. Funded by the NIHR School for Primary Care Research, they showed that it was feasible to recruit and keep people in a study evaluating food allergy tests for eczema control.
Professor Ridd said: “We are delighted to announce that the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme has funded the TIGER study, which will enable us to answer the question, ‘Does dietary advice based on routine food allergy tests improve disease control compared with usual care in children with eczema?’
“We are currently setting the study up and we will add more information to this website over the next few months, before we welcome the first children into the study in February 2023.”
Meanwhile, you can:
Further information
About the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol
The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) at the University of Bristol is a leading centre for primary care research in the UK, one of nine forming the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. It sits within Bristol Medical School, an internationally recognised centre of excellence for population health research and teaching.
About the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.
