Scientists make breakthrough that could lead to cure for ALL allergies with a single treatment Researchers have 'desensitised' animals to allergens in groundbreaking trial It means the body's immune cells, or 'T cells', no longer react to substances Breakthrough could be used to treat huge range of allergies in human beings Severe allergies could be 'turned off' by gene therapy, a new study has suggested. Researchers say a single treatment giving life-long protection from severe allergies such as asthma could be made possible by immunology research. A team led by Associate Professor Ray Steptoe, at The University of Queensland in Australia, has been able to 'turn-off' the immune response which causes allergic reaction in animals. Prof Steptoe said: 'When someone has an allergy or asthma flare-up, the symptoms they experience results from immune cells reacting to protein in the allergen. Professor Ray Steptoe and his team of researchers at The University of Queensland in Australia have been able to 'turn-off' the immune response which causes allergic reaction in animals. It is hoped the same principles could be applied to human beings so everything from food allergies to asthma can one day be cured 'The challenge in asthma and allergies is that these immune cells, known as T-cells, develop a form of immune 'memory' and become very resistant to treatments. 'We have now been able to 'wipe' the memory of these T-cells in animals with gene therapy, desensitising the immune system so that it tolerates the protein. 'Our work used an experimental asthma allergen, but this research could be applied to treat those who have severe allergies to peanuts, bee venom, shell fish and other substances.' Dr Steptoe said the findings would be subject to further pre-clinical investigation, with the next step being to replicate results using human cells in the laboratory. He said: 'We take blood stem cells, insert a gene which regulates the allergen protein and we put that into the recipient. 'Those engineered cells produce new blood cells that express the protein and target specific immune cells, 'turning off' the allergic response.' Dr Steptoe said the eventual goal would be a single injected gene therapy, replacing short-term treatments that target allergy symptoms with varying degrees of effectiveness. The eventual goal of the pioneering research is to develop a single injected form of gene therapy, which would replace short-term treatments that target allergy symptoms He said: 'We haven't quite got it to the point where it's as simple as getting a flu jab, so we are working on making it simpler and safer so it could be used across a wide cross-section of affected individuals. 'At the moment, the target population might be those individuals who have severe asthma or potentially lethal food allergies.' Dr Steptoe's research was funded by the Asthma Foundation and the National Health and Medical Research Council. The findings of the study have been welcomed by the Asthma Foundation of Queensland, who 'look forward to a day in the future when a safe one-off treatment may be available that has the potential to eliminate any experience of asthma in vulnerable patients' Dr Peter Anderson, chief executive officer of the Asthma Foundation of Queensland and New South Wales, said: 'Even though there are effective treatments available for the vast majority, patients face a number of obstacles and challenges in their self-management practices. 'The Foundation welcomes the findings of this research and looks forward to a day in the future when a safe one-off treatment may be available that has the potential to eliminate any experience of asthma in vulnerable patients.' The research was published in the journal JCI Insight. Source
