Study seeks allergy cure
Monday December 01 2008
FOOD allergy sufferers may benefit from a new treatment being developed by a team of scientists across Europe.
One in three people has a food allergy: sometimes an allergy may trigger a life-threatening reaction.
"Food allergies affect around 10 million EU citizens and there is no cure," says Dr Clare Mills of the Institute of Food Research, which is leading the project.
The scientists are working on modified proteins from the allergy causing foods -- to purify them and then treat the patient with the extract.
Sensitivity
Treatments to date, where a patient received injections with an allergen extract for three to five years, failed because of the danger of the extract itself causing anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a rapid, severe allergic reaction that affects the whole body.
Peanut allergy is the most widely known trigger, but other foods can cause anaphylaxis so too can insect stings, latex and drugs. It can be fatal.
Some 90pc of food allergies are caused by about 10 foods. Allergies to fish and fruit are among the most common.
"We are hoping for a cure that will allow people to eat fish or fruit again," Dr Ronald van Ree, from the Academic Medical Centre at the University of Amsterdam, said. "But a significant reduction of sensitivity would already be a great step forwards."
- Clodagh Sheehy
