EAACI GA2LEN Allergy School in Verona
Allergic Reaction to Drugs – From Bench to Bedside
21–23 September 2011
Peschiera del Garda, Italy
The EAACI-GA²LEN Allergy School took place in Peschiera del Garda, on Lake Garda near Verona, Italy. More than 80 people participated from 29 different countries, including 24 junior EAACI members.The first day began with a short introduction given by Dr Senna, the president of the Italian Allergological Association, and Dr Bonadonna. On behalf of the EAACI, Dr Antonella Muraro officially opened the school, followed by sessions on basic science, including a plenary lecture by Prof Pichler, who discussed how T cells recognise drugs. Later in the day, the types of reactions that may be elicited by specific drugs were discussed, including beta-lactams, NSAIDs, radio contrast media, and anesthetics. We concluded the day with a guided tour around Verona, which improved our cultural knowledge!
The second day featured more clinical science with sessions on skin testing, in vitro assays, and provocation tests. In the afternoon, participants gave excellent oral presentations. During the evening we had a social event at the hotel with a tasting of Amarone wine, followed by music and dancing until late in the night.
On the final day, we had practical sessions on skin tests and then the basophil activation test (BAT). Prof Hoffmann supervised participants performing the BAT on fresh samples kindly donated by patients from Verona. We were all very surprised, and Prof Hoffman relieved, when we had some positive results!
The school was very well organised and we would like to thank all speakers for coming to Verona and giving us the advantage of their professionalism. A special thank-you for all the hard work by the EAACI Drug Allergy Interest Group, in particular Dr Bonadonna, Dr Lombardo, and Dr Caruso, who formed the local organising committee.
Annalisa Santucci
Paul Whitaker
Last updated 27 October 2014