Food
allergies 'gone in 10 years'
About
one in 70 people are allergic to foods such as nuts
and milk
Food allergies could be virtually eradicated in
10 years, according to scientists at a major conference.
Experts at the BA Festival of Science, in Norwich,
heard that vaccines could be created against the
molecules which trigger allergies.
The scientist leading the research - Dr Ronald van
Ree, from Amsterdam University - said a vaccine
with no side effects was in sight.
About one in 70 people have an allergy to foods
such as peanuts or shellfish.
New genetic engineering techniques are being tested
to reduce the effect of the proteins in food that
cause adverse - sometimes fatal - reactions.
It is hoped that scientists will be able to make
the molecules safe enough to use in drugs that fight
food allergies via the immune system.
These would be used in conjunction with compounds
designed to reduce inflammation - one of the most
dangerous effects of allergic reactions.
Effective treatment will end the fear that
food-allergic patients have for unwanted exposure
to food allergens
Dr Ronald van Ree
Speaking about the research, Dr van Ree told festival
delegates: "Taken together, these new developments
provide good opportunities to develop strategies
for the treatment of food allergies, both preventive
and curative."
He said it was now possible to produce altered versions
of food allergy molecules in the laboratory.
"Importantly, this allows scientists to develop
hypo-allergenic variants of these molecules for
application in safer immunotherapy that will induce
little or no side effects," the scientist told
the meeting at the University of East Anglia.
"Effective treatment will end the fear that
food-allergic patients have for unwanted exposure
to food allergens."
Foods which carry a high allergy risk include milk,
eggs, wheat, peanuts, shellfish, fish, soya, and
tree nuts such as brazils or cashews.
Despite possibly fatal effects, deaths from food
allergy are rare.
Only eight children in the UK died from food allergy
reactions between 1990 and 2000.
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