Parents of kids who have peanut allergies know how dangerous life can be for their child. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a way to “turn off” your child’s allergy? Scientists may have found a way to do exactly that. More studies are needed, but, it could be the start of something amazing.
Children who have peanut allergies can go into analyphlaxis if they encounter even the smallest amount of peanuts. Obviously, the child has to avoid eating foods that contain peanuts.
However, that alone cannot ensure your child’s safety. People who are allergic to peanuts can have serious allergic reactions to the tiny fragments of peanuts that are thrown into the air when someone else eats something that contains peanuts.
Some schools have banned peanuts entirely. It is one way to avoid the potential of having an allergic child accidentally touching desks, tables, or playground equipment that has been tainted with peanut butter that came from another child’s sandwich at lunch. Some children use service dogs that have been trained to help kids with allergies avoid peanuts.
Parents of kids who are allergic to peanuts are in a constant state of vigilance. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to “turn off” their child’s peanut allergy? Scientists may have found a way to do that.
Researchers used mice in order to test out this potential solution. They drew blood from mice who were allergic to peanuts. They attached a peanut extract onto the white blood cells of the mice, and then re-infused the treated blood cells back into the mice.
After two treatments, the mice no longer had an allergic response to peanuts. The researchers have found a way to trick the immune system of the mice into thinking that peanuts are not a threat. The mice have had peanut proteins added to their white blood cells, which are circulating through their bodies. However, the mice have become tolerant to what used to cause an allergic reaction.
The mice in the study were able to sustain a peanut tolerance for two weeks. Next, researchers need to test how long this tolerance will last. If everything goes well, there could be human trials in the future. The implications of this research is astounding. Could there truly be a way to “turn off” a person’s peanut allergies? Would this method work with other allergens too? We will have to wait and see what happens.
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