By Jane Collingwood
A new treatment may be on the way for people with severe food allergies.
About ten million people living in the European Union have food allergies, and there is currently no cure. Dr Clare Mills of the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, UK, explains: "All people with food allergy can do is avoid the foods to which they are allergic. The threat of severe anaphylaxis has a great impact on their quality of life."
Anaphylaxis can occur within minutes of exposure to a food allergen such as peanuts, fish or fruit, and can be fatal.
But the team are hoping to develop a new treatment. Their project will use substances that are purified to be hypoallergenic and not cause side-effects. This modification will also make the treatment more effective and the dose more controllable.
Dr Mills’ colleague, Dr Ronald van Ree from the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, says: "We are hoping for a cure that will allow people to eat fish or fruit again. But a significant reduction of sensitivity would already be a great step forwards.
"The risk of unintentional exposure due to cross-contamination of foods, or while eating in restaurants or at parties, will decrease. This will take away lot of the anxiety that has a negative impact on the quality of life of food allergy sufferers."
The treatment "will improve the quality of life of food allergic patients by providing a safe and effective curative treatment that will end their dependence on avoidance and rescue medication", say the experts.
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