Allergies

The first oral immunotherapy agent to treat peanut allergy is set to be approved, but questions still remain over how effective and long-lasting it is.

Chromium and nickel nanoparticles from tattoo needles may be responsible for some allergic reactions to tattoos.

A new study suggests food allergies can be triggered in infants by a lack of certain gut bacteria. As well as identifying which bacteria are key to protecting against the onset of food allergies, a subsequent mouse study revealed a specific probiotic cocktail can reverse pre-established allergies.

A meta-analysis of a dozen trials into the efficacy of an oral immunotherapy treatment designed to reduce allergic reactions to peanuts has concluded the treatment may work in clinical environments but it also results in patients suffering from more real-world adverse allergic events.

An intriguing new study has described a clear association in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients between food allergies and disease activity. The correlation adds weight to the growing hypothesis suggesting the inflammatory activity behind MS is modulated, to a degree, by a mechanism in the gut.

Sometimes the immune system gets it wrong, targeting harmless proteins from things like nuts and triggering allergic reactions. Now, researchers have identified a mechanism that helps keep the immune system in check, potentially leading to drugs that prevent allergic reactions before they start.

Two new products from Wynd are suggested to be the ultimate in home air purification – Halo, an app-controlled sensor that can monitor specific pollutants in the air, and the Home Purifier, a massive air cleaner that can quickly clear contaminants from large spaces.​

A new oral desensitization treatment for children with peanut allergies is on the cusp of FDA approval, however questions remain over both the long-term efficacy of the treatment and the ultimate cost for what is essentially not that different to peanut flour in a capsule.

Rresearchers at the University of Michigan have found a way to retrain the immune system to ignore allergens by developing a nasal spray that vaccinates against peanut allergies, with promising results in mouse tests.

A growing body of research is suggesting that parasitic worms could in fact have a positive effect on our immune system. A new study is bolstering that hypothesis finding in animal experiments that a certain type of helminth infection can help lower obesity rates, even when fed a high-fat diet.

​A meta-analysis incorporating over 400 different studies has examined the effect of diet during pregnancy on a baby’s risk of developing allergies or eczema. The study concluded that a mother consuming fish oils or probiotics while pregnant can have positive effects on her baby’s well-being.

Researchers have revealed the mechanism behind an antibody that can potentially inactivate the body's allergic processes.​ The breakthrough brings researchers one step closer to developing a universal treatment that can prevent the fundamental immune response at the heart of all allergic reactions.