Potential new therapy for people with allergies, developed by Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy center at the University of Michigan, “deceives” the immune system in response to exposure to allergens such as peanuts, the immune system another way than the body’s typical allergic reaction, and this way can actually prevent the activation of cells, which can cause allergic reactions.
What happened when it was tested on mice?
Within three months, mice allergic to peanuts were given small amounts of peanuts arising from the substance that causes the “safe” path, in fact, training the immune system to change your reaction to peanuts. After receiving all doses of vaccine, mice were again exposed to peanuts.
Mice who did not receive the vaccine, responded with Allergy symptoms similar to people from scratching and puffiness of the face to difficulty breathing and fainting, but the mice who received the treatment vaccine was easy and no symptoms.
Photo/Getty ImagesThere may be hope on the horizon for the United States 15 million people suffering from food allergies. Scientists said they had successfully tested a new vaccine against Allergy“,” mice with peanut allergies.
The current approach to food allergies
An allergic reaction is a reaction of their own immune system against food or other substances. He gets mistakenly recognized by the immune system of the body as a dangerous invader, although it’s harmless. This kind of reaction usually occurs when the body improperly reacts to things like pollen, dust, pet dander, and peanuts. Substances that trigger allergic reactions are called allergens.
This causes a chain reaction involving antibodies made by white blood cells and chemicals like histamine and cytokines that tell the body that something is wrong. As a result, the body will show symptoms such as rash, itching, watery eyes and nausea. The most severe version of this reaction is anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening reaction that includes difficulty breathing and low blood pressure.
Currently, people with food allergies, you can try immunotherapy, called “desensitization therapy,” the reception of small doses of the allergen weekly or monthly. Therapy may be given for several years, hoping that the body will “get used” to the allergen, and understand that this is not a threat. It is not always possible, and people with a high risk of dangerous allergic reactions, as a rule, it is not recommended to try it.
What’s next
“We’re changing the way immune cells respond to exposure to allergens,” Jessica O”Konek, Ph. D., the study’s lead Author, said in a press release. “The main thing that we can do it after the Allergy, which provides a potential therapy of Allergy in humans.”
The next step is to evaluate how long protection lasts allergic reactions after this treatment. The researchers will do more studies in mice to better understand the mechanisms of different reactions to allergens and the effects of the reorientation is the answer. After that, they hope to test a “vaccine Allergy” in people. But that’s a while to go.
“This study also taught us more about how food allergies develop,” Dr. James Baker Jr., senior author of the study, said in a press release, “and the science behind what needs to change in the immune system to treat them.”
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
