Better treatment for allergies, and perhaps even a cure - US researchers have big hopes for their immune-cell discovery
Scientists find way to tell ‘bad’ immune cells that trigger allergic reactions from ‘good’ cells that fight infection, and show it is possible to rid the body of the ‘bad’ ones
Allergy sufferers know the drill: eyes that itch and water; sneezes that won’t stop; the fear that a hidden morsel of peanut will trigger a life-or-death crisis.
Over-the-counter drugs and allergy shots deliver relief to some people, but not others.
Now, a discovery by US researchers holds out the hope of better diagnosis and treatment for allergies of all types – and may even lead to a cure someday.
My hope is that we might find a drug that will specifically destroy the [bad] cells, or at least stop them
“I think it’s a big deal,” said Dr David Robinson, an allergy specialist at Virginia Mason Medical Centre in Seattle and co-author of the study, which is featured on the cover of the latest edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine. “Ultimately, we’re interested in fixing allergies and treating people, but you have to understand it first.”
Led by researchers at Virginia Mason’s Benaroya Research Institute, the Seattle team is the first to find a way to distinguish the “bad” immune-system cells that trigger allergies from “good” immune cells that fight infection. They also showed that effective allergy therapy banishes the bad cells from the body.
“If you are allergic, you have those bad cells,” said lead author Erik Wambre. “If you are not allergic, you don’t.”
