Pollen monitoring online

On 13 September 2016, the Bavarian Cabinet approved the setting up of the world’s first automatic pollen monitoring network (ePIN) as part of the “Bayern Digital” initiative (Press Release 253, Bavarian State Chancellery). The initiative, jointly supported by the two ministries of “Environment and Consumer Protection” (StMUV) and “Health and Care Services” (StMGP), is based on preliminary studies by the Centre for Allergy and Environment (ZAUM) of the Technical University of Munich, a partner of CK-CARE.

The network involves several innovations:

In a pilot study, a maximum network of 27 pollen monitors was set up in Bavaria and operated for a year. These established which locations are sufficient and necessary for determining the pollen count in Bavaria. As Bavaria, can be subdivided into eight pollen count regions, eight stations are sufficient for reliable measuring. This meant that the cost and complexity of pollen monitoring could be reduced.
In a three-year experiment, the suitability of an automated pollen monitor was compared with that of the classic manual method (microscopy). The error rate was equally high but of a different character for the two methods. The greatest error for the automated method was that not all pollens were recognized (if they varied from the classic external appearance) and were consequently classified as “unknown”. As a result of repeated use of the system, the recognition software will automatically improve over time. By contrast, the manual systems have already been optimised and cannot be further improved.

The new system will be set up from 2017 to 2018 and should be running continuously from 2019. Similar efforts are being made in Switzerland, but this favour using the monitor from a Swiss company.

The system has enormous advantages for patients: the pathogens causing the common disease of pollen allergy or “hay fever” (over 80% of allergy sufferers are allergic to pollen) are visualised on line with this system and give patients the opportunity to react specifically to the triggers of their condition, especially since the system allows far more accurate pollen forecasts to be made than in the past.

Prof. Dr. Kilian Eyerich is our new member of the Scientific Board

As of November 2025, we welcome Prof. Dr. Kilian Eyerich as a new member of our Scientific Board.
Prof. Dr. Kilian Eyerich is the Medical Director of the Department of Dermatology and Venereology at the University Medical Center Freiburg.
With his appointment to our board, the University of Freiburg becomes an additional research center within the CK-CARE consortium.

The Freiburg site strengthens the research network with its outstanding expertise in T-cell immunology, with a particular focus on tissue-resident memory T cells and their role in the development and persistence of atopic dermatitis. The team aims to apply T-cell–targeted therapies even more precisely in the future and thereby sustainably influence immunological memory in a positive way.

At the core of their work is the recruitment of patients as well as the collection and integration of data and samples from the ProRaD study, a prospective longitudinal study investigating the remission phase of atopic dermatitis and other allergy-associated diseases such as asthma, food allergies, and allergic rhinitis.

We look forward to a successful collaboration and warmly welcome Kilian Eyerich and his team to the CK-CARE consortium.

5th Global Allergy Forum in Davos: Allergy and Environment in Focus

From October 16–18, 2025, more than 70 international experts gathered at the Medicine Campus Davos for the 5th Global Allergy Forum. Under the theme “Allergy and Environment – Loss of Balance and Ways to Restore It”, participants explored how environmental factors drive the rise of allergic diseases and discussed innovative strategies to restore immune balance. Key topics included nutrition and environmental exposures, the role of skin and mucosal barriers, psychoneuroimmunology, and the use of artificial intelligence in allergy research. The forum’s conclusions will be summarized in the upcoming “Davos Declaration.”

More here

New Publication in Allergy: From Disease Control to Disease Modification – The Atopic Dermatitis Disease Activity Index

“New and advanced treatments for atopic dermatitis (AD) are moving beyond just managing symptoms. For some patients, these therapies can modify the disease itself, potentially leading to long-term remission (“deep remission”) even after stopping medication. This new treatment goal is called “disease modification.” The aim is to fundamentally change the course of AD and its related health conditions, offering transformative and lasting relief. However, optimal measurement of deep remission remains a key challenge for clinicians, researchers, regulators, and ultimately the payers. Our recent publication in Allergy discussing the Atopic Dermatitis Disease Activity Index (ADDAI), a composite tool to help determine if a treatment has successfully achieved true disease modification, helping doctors and patients know if the right treatment approach has been found. (link to publication).

From Disease Control to Disease Modification: The AtopicDermatitis Disease Activity Index

New Study Published in Nutrients: Diet Diversity and Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet Pattern in Pregnancy Is Protective Against the Development of Early-Childhood Atopic Dermatitis

We are proud to share our latest paper published in Nutrients by the CK-CARE Consortium:

read study

This study, conducted within the CARE birth cohort, provides new insights into how maternal nutrition during pregnancy influences the development of atopic dermatitis in early childhood.

Key findings:

  • A Mediterranean diet during pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of early childhood AD.
  • Greater dietary diversity is also associated with a lower AD risk.
  • In contrast, frequent red meat consumption correlates with persistent AD symptoms.

These results underscore the importance of nutritional patterns—not just individual nutrients—in shaping immune development and allergic disease susceptibility.

Congratulations to the research team as well as all members of the CK-CARE study group and our international collaborators.

At CK-CARE, we are committed to advancing prevention strategies for allergic diseases through interdisciplinary and translational research. This study highlights the critical window of opportunity during pregnancy for long-term immune health.

Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier received the EAACI Clinical Fellow Award 2025

On June 13, 2025, at the EAACI Congress in Glasgow, Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier was honored with the EAACI Clinical Fellow Award 2025. He is the first Dermatologist to receive this prestigious recognition.

We are proud to have Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier as part of our CK-CARE team and to benefit from his outstanding scientific work and extensive expertise. We warmly congratulate him on this well-deserved award!

Atopic Dermatitis and Cardiovascular Disease

Atopic Dermatitis and Cardiovascular Disease – a deeper connection?
As part of our ongoing commitment to advancing the understanding of chronic inflammatory diseases, we at CK-CARE are proud to share the results of a newly published study in *Allergy* from our multicenter ProRaD research initiative.
Read the full publication: https://doi.org/10.1111/all.16588