Annette Kuehn PhD

Dr. Annette Kuehn, a pharmacist by training, obtained her PhD in Applied Microbiology, Saarland University, Germany. In 2005, she continued her professional path as a scientist in the Laboratory of Immunogenetics and Allergology at the Luxembourg Institute of Health. Dr. Kuehn developed her skills in molecular allergology in the frame of a transversal program on food safety. Thus, she initiated successfully the research field of food allergy at LIH and became an expert in the molecular and immunological characterization of allergenic molecules to address “what makes an allergen an allergen?”. The expertise on allergenic molecules, their properties, and their standardized production paved the way for advanced translational studies on component-resolved IgE diagnosis of food-allergic patients. In close collaboration with clinical centers (inter-/national), cohorts of patients and controls were recruited to explore the diagnostic relevance of single allergen components in serum IgE-testing. International visibility and recognition of competitive food allergy research resulted from these translational activities. By studying seafood allergy as a model disease, she contributed significantly to a better understanding of the clinical phenotypes of allergic patients, their improved clinical management as well as the development of novel perspectives in molecule-based serum testing, together with commercial partners.