The 18-month peanut allergy treatment conducted by the Researchers from Telethon Kids Institute and Murdoch Children's Research Institute showed that 74% of the children who received a combination treatment achieved remission. On the other hand, only 4% of patients under placebo received remission.
Peanuts
Peanut Allergy Clinical Trial
Researchers from Telethon Kids Institute and Murdoch Children's Research Institute discovered that an immunological change allowed peanut allergy remission in children. They said a combination treatment of peanut oral immunotherapy and probiotics helped rewire gene networks driving the transition from peanut allergy to clinical remission. The study was published in the Allergy journal.
62 Melbourne-based children, ages 1 to 10, with peanut allergies, participated in the study. The children were divided into two groups. One group received the placebo while the other received the combination treatment, including probiotic treatment and immunotherapy.
The children who achieved remission were allowed to stop receiving medication and start eating peanuts.
One of the children who took part in the allergy trial was Ju Ng's daughter, Stella. Her daughter broke out in hives from a meal containing traces of the nut, which led to her peanut allergy diagnosis.
Ju Lee confirmed that Stella's quality of life improved after the trial. She said that she could eat any food and did not need to check the food labels. Ju Lee even said that her daughter could dig in and enjoy a bag of peanut M&Ms. Stella had been in clinical remission for four years.
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Peanut Allergy Treatment Discovery
Professor Mimi Tang of Murdoch Children's, who led the study, said that the immunological changes leading to peanut allergy remission were largely unknown. She said it was the first to discover the gene-to-gene connectivity and communication that underlies the clinical remission of peanut allergy.
The researcher said they discovered significant changes in network connectivity patterns between allergic children and those in remission. The same modification was also seen when they analyzed gene networks in the children who went into remission after receiving immunotherapy.
"Certain changes in the allergen-specific immune cells, called Th2 cells, are critical to achieving lasting remission. Th2 cells are essential for generating allergen-specific antibodies and the development of food allergies. We found that the Th2 signaling that drives allergy is 'turned off in children in remission," Tang said.
Tang is also the CEO of Prota Therapeutics. It is an Australian biotech company focused on commercializing its ground-breaking allergy immunotherapy treatment for children with life-threatening peanut allergies.
Dr. Anya Jones of the Telethon Kids Institute claimed that there is no treatment for food allergies. Management relies on avoiding allergenic food, which lowers the children's quality of life.
She said understanding the complex immunological processes that underpin remission would provide deeper insight into the critical factors influencing treatment efficacy. Perhaps, it would suggest novel targets for more potent treatments that deliver long-term solutions for patients.
Prior research mainly examined gene expression levels without additionally looking into how genes interact with one another. Yet, because a huge number of genes interact to regulate biological responses, a closer examination of these connections was necessary.
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