Vanderbilt Health launches NIH-funded alpha-gal syndrome diagnosis trial
VUMC says the multisite BeACON4AG study is enrolling patients ages 12 to 50.
NASHVILLE - Vanderbilt Health is launching a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health to improve diagnosis of alpha-gal syndrome, according to an Oct. 8 news release from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The study, called BeACON4AG, also aims to explore the causes of allergic reactions, VUMC says.
VUMC describes alpha-gal syndrome as a tick-bite-associated allergic condition that can trigger severe reactions to a sugar molecule in red meat and other mammal products. The release says about 20% of blood tests in Tennessee are positive for alpha-gal antibodies, but only 1 in 20 people with a positive test will have a reaction.
The multisite trial is enrolling patients ages 12 to 50 at Vanderbilt Health and sites in Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas, VUMC says. In the two-part feeding test, participants eat pork with alpha-gal at one visit and pork without it at another; neither participant nor clinician knows which is which. Results are expected in five to seven years, according to the release.
"Establishing clarity and proper diagnosis is crucial," said Cosby Stone Jr., MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and co-leader of the trial.
Source: Vanderbilt University Medical Center news release, Oct. 8, 2026, https://news.vumc.org/2026/10/08/research-study-aims-to-clarify-alpha-gal-syndrome-diagnosis-and-treatment/