Fel d 1, which is unique to cats, is responsible for most people's allergic reactions to cats. 2 Still, little is known about the protein and Allerca's findings could lend insight into the unknown function of Fel d 1 in cats, says Leslie Lyons, assistant professor at the UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. "We're interested in pursuing this stuff a little farther," she says, but "they don't present enough data to say how they've done it."
Lyons isn't the only one scratching her head over the lack of peer review of Allerca's claims. "There's a lot of skepticism in the academic community about whether or not these cats are hypoallergenic," says Martin Chapman, a former professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University of Virginia and the founder of Indoor Biotechnologies, a company that designs allergy tests. "We've not come across any documented scientific study that this is a real ...
