A new inhibitor could be the key to treating peanut allergy

If you're one of the 75 million people on Earth with a peanut allergy, here's some exciting news: Scientists are getting closer to developing a treatment for the allergy that might not involve stabbing yourself with an EpiPen.

In a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, researchers managed to find a way to inhibit an allergic reaction to peanuts. The reaction starts when peanuts enter the person's body and their immune system misinterprets the food as a threat, Newsweek explained. It then creates a protein called immunoglobulin E (IgE) in order to attack the food, which prompt reactions from itchiness and hives to a swelling throat and difficulty breathing.

For this study, the scientists tested the blood of 16 participants who have a peanut allergy, observing the way that IgE binds to the peanut proteins. From there, they were able to develop an inhibitor that would bind to the IgE before it could reach the peanut proteins, thus stopping an allergic reaction from occurring.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

This new type of inhibitor is different from other allergy treatments in that it targets IgE without interfering with "any other essential immune system molecules or cells," explained Dr. Basar Bilgicer, co-author of the study and associate professor at the University of Notre Dame. This means that a new treatment based on this type of inhibitor won't stop people's immune systems from carrying out other "very important functions that are vital for patients' well-being."

Because many food allergies work like peanut allergy, this could also mean scientists are closer to developing similar treatments for all sorts of allergens, like other nuts, soy, or dairy. Read more about the study at Newsweek.