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Allergy battle could be won in five years, says scientist
July 13, 2006Researchers, working with colleagues at St George's, University of London, are developing drugs designed to stop allergens from entering the body, so rendering them harmless.
Professor David Garrod said the research — recently shortlisted for the Northwest Regional Development Agency's Bionow Project of the Year — takes a completely new approach to the treatment and prevention of allergies.
"The technology is based on our earlier discovery of how allergens, the substances that cause allergy, enter the body through the surface layer of cells that protect the skin and the tubes of the lungs," he said.
"Allergens from pollen or house dust mites are inhaled and then dissolve the binding material between the cells that form these protective linings; they can then enter the body by passing between the cells to cause an allergic response.
"The drugs we are developing — called Allergen Delivery Inhibitors (ADIs) — are designed to disable these allergens so they can no longer eat through the protective cell layer and block the allergic reaction before it occurs.
"The effect will be like avoiding allergens altogether. Removing carpets and rigorous cleaning of homes are established ways to avoid allergens, but they are only partially effective because their effects do not 'travel' with allergy sufferers.
"ADIs promise to be significantly better because taking a medicine is easier than rigorous housework and pills are portable."
Professor Garrod, who is based within Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences, said work on the first ADI chemical was well advanced and potential drugs could enter clinical trials as early as 2010.
If successful, the drug would treat established symptoms already found in adult sufferers and, in due course, could be used to prevent allergies in children.
"Prevention of allergies has never before been possible," said Professor Garrod. "Current medicines don't act against the allergen at this early stage — they only ease the symptoms — so the development of these ADIs would be a major breakthrough in our fight against allergies.\\\
University of Manchester
"Allergens from pollen or house dust mites are inhaled and then dissolve the binding material between the cells that form these protective linings; they can then enter the body by passing between the cells to cause an allergic response.
"The drugs we are developing — called Allergen Delivery Inhibitors (ADIs) — are designed to disable these allergens so they can no longer eat through the protective cell layer and block the allergic reaction before it occurs.
"The effect will be like avoiding allergens altogether. Removing carpets and rigorous cleaning of homes are established ways to avoid allergens, but they are only partially effective because their effects do not 'travel' with allergy sufferers.
"ADIs promise to be significantly better because taking a medicine is easier than rigorous housework and pills are portable."
Professor Garrod, who is based within Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences, said work on the first ADI chemical was well advanced and potential drugs could enter clinical trials as early as 2010.
If successful, the drug would treat established symptoms already found in adult sufferers and, in due course, could be used to prevent allergies in children.
"Prevention of allergies has never before been possible," said Professor Garrod. "Current medicines don't act against the allergen at this early stage — they only ease the symptoms — so the development of these ADIs would be a major breakthrough in our fight against allergies.\\\
University of Manchester
Allergens News and Current Allergens Events RSSStudents with food allergies often not prepared
College students with food allergies aren't avoiding the foods they know they shouldn't eat. Students of all ages are not treated with potentially life-saving epinephrine as often as they should be. And instructors, roommates and friends often are not aware of what to do if a food-allergic student has a reaction.
Scientists identify how gastric reflux may trigger asthma
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Asthma and other allergies tied to absence of specialized cells
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Link shown between thunderstorms and asthma attacks in metro Atlanta area
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Allergy expert has advice for flood victims
As if the emotional and financial impact of flood damage isn't bad enough, floodwaters can also bring health problems. H. James Wedner, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, says after the water recedes, damp homes and businesses are fertile grounds for mold growth, which can cause allergic reactions and asthmatic symptoms in sensitive people.
The latest research on allergies: Specific immunotherapy can help
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Researchers from 5 countries to test hygiene hypothesis with EU funding
High living standards and the life style connected to them seem to promote the development of autoimmune diseases and allergic symptoms. This has lead to the assumption that the immune system begins to overreact to the organism's own structures or to exogenous non-infectious proteins, i.e. allergens, when it does not have to work hard enough to protect the individual from infections.
Study reveals link among childhood allergies, asthma symptoms, and early life exposure to cats
A study released by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, shows that cat ownership may have a protective effect against the development of asthma symptoms in young children at age five.
Mother's prenatal stress predisposes their babies to asthma and allergy
Women who are stressed during pregnancy may pass some of that frazzlement to their fetuses in the form of increased sensitivity to allergen exposure and possibly future asthma risk.
Immune system pathway identified to fight allergens, asthma
For the first time, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified genetic components of dendritic cells that are key to asthma and allergy-related immune response malfunction.
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