Revolutionary mRNA Treatment Could Cure Peanut Allergies
Around three million Americans suffer from peanut allergies and also tree nut allergies, yet there is only one approved treatment available, and it only tackles the severity of the condition. Despite years of research, there have been only a few glimmers of hope for sufferers. However, scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) may have found a major breakthrough in treating peanut allergies.
In a world-first, the UCLA researchers tested an mRNA treatment packaged in tiny nanoparticles that not only reversed peanut allergies in mice but also equipped the body with the necessary tools to prevent the condition from developing.
According to study co-author Dr. André Nel, a professor at UCLA, “mRNA has never been used for an allergic disease before. We’ve shown that our platform can work to calm peanut allergies, and we believe it may be able to do the same for other allergens, in food and drugs, as well as autoimmune conditions.”
The team packaged the mRNA inside a nanoparticle and delivered it to the liver, where it instructed specific cells to tolerate peanut proteins. The researchers focused on the liver because of its tolerance for foreign substances and its home to antigen-presenting cells, which help train the immune system to tolerate foreign proteins.
The team’s research builds on their previous work, which saw a nanoparticle deliver a protein fragment, called an epitope, to the liver to alleviate egg allergies in mice. In 2022, the researchers discovered the epitope connected to peanut allergies.
The researchers conducted several successful trials on mice, finding that the nanoparticle treatment significantly boosted the animals’ tolerance of peanut protein. The researchers are confident that their treatment will go to clinical trials within three years, and that it has the potential to be adapted for allergies, since the mRNA payload can code for different kinds of epitopes. They are even exploring whether it could be adapted to treat type 1 diabetes.
In conclusion, this revolutionary mRNA treatment could provide a cure for peanut allergies, offering hope for millions of Americans who suffer from this often-deadly condition.
Revolutionary mRNA Treatment Could Cure Peanut Allergies