Posted on 04/06/2023 1:22:00 PM PDT by Red Badger
Anew peanut allergy treatment based on mRNA could potentially lead to therapies that prevent all types of allergies — and maybe even reverse autoimmune conditions like type 1 diabetes.
The challenge: Our immune system helps us stay healthy by attacking foreign invaders, such as disease-causing viruses and bacteria. Sometimes, it attacks harmless invaders, too — this is what’s happening when a person experiences an allergic reaction to something typically benign.
Peanuts are one of the most common allergens — an estimated 1 in 50 children is allergic to the legumes, and while some experience only mild reactions, such as hives or nausea, exposure to peanuts can be life-threatening for others, causing anaphylaxis.
The only approved peanut allergy treatment takes several months to kick in and must be taken daily for life.
Studies show that early exposure to peanuts helps reduce the risk of developing an allergy, but even then, some kids will still become allergic. About 20% of children who do develop a peanut allergy will outgrow the condition, but it’s lifelong for the rest.
The only FDA-approved peanut allergy treatment takes several months to kick in and must be taken daily for life. It also doesn’t actually stop patients from having allergic reactions to peanuts — it just minimizes the risk of a severe reaction.
What’s new? Researchers at UCLA have now used mRNA — the type of molecule used in the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines — to develop a treatment that could not only prevent a severe allergy from developing but could even reverse signs of a peanut allergy in mice.
“As far as we can find, mRNA has never been used for an allergic disease,” said André Nel, co-corresponding author of the team’s study, which has been published in ACS Nano.
The mRNA was encoded with instructions that tell cells how to create the peanut allergy epitope.
The background: In a previous study, the UCLA researchers identified a specific fragment of a peanut protein — known as an “epitope” — that alleviated peanut allergies in mice when delivered directly to their livers using a nanoparticle.
It appears this is due to the liver’s antigen-presenting cells, which train the immune system to tolerate foreign proteins.
“If you’re lucky enough to choose the correct epitope, there’s an immune mechanism that puts a damper on reactions to all of the other fragments,” said Nel. “That way, you could take care of a whole ensemble of epitopes that play a role in disease.”
The upgrade: For their new study, the UCLA researchers encoded mRNA with instructions that tell cells how to create the peanut allergy epitope — this mirrors how mRNA is used in the COVID-19 vaccines to train cells to create bits of the coronavirus’ spike protein.
They then put the mRNA in the nanoparticle. This was easier than actually loading the peanut protein epitope itself into the particle, and it opens the door to including multiple epitopes in a single nanoparticle in the future, which might be necessary if the technique is used to treat other types of allergies.
Finally, they added a sugar molecule to the surface of their nanoparticle to help it bind to the liver’s antigen-presenting cells.
The new treatment had increased the animals’ tolerance to peanut protein.
The results: To test the new peanut allergy treatment, they administered it to mice in two doses a week apart. For comparison, other groups of mice got either no treatment, the treatment without the added sugar protein, or the nanoparticle filled with mRNA that didn’t code for anything.
A week later, they fed the mice a peanut protein extract that made them sensitive to peanut allergens. A week after that, they challenged the mice with enough peanut protein to trigger anaphylaxis, and the group treated with the sugar nanoparticle treatment had the least severe reaction.
This suggested that the therapy could prevent the development of a severe peanut allergy.
“We believe [our platform] may be able to do the same for other allergens, in food and drugs, as well as autoimmune conditions.”
To see if it could potentially treat people who are already severely allergic to peanuts, the team performed the experiment again, but this time, they made the mice sensitive to peanut allergens before administering the nanoparticles.
Again, the sugar nanoparticle led to the mildest symptoms during the allergen challenge, and mice treated with particles containing epitope-encoding mRNA experienced “far milder symptoms” than ones in the comparison groups.
By analyzing the levels of certain antibodies, enzymes, and other substances, the researchers were able to confirm that the new treatment had increased the animals’ tolerance to peanut protein — essentially reversing their peanut allergies.
Looking ahead: If all goes well in additional lab testing, the UCLA scientists believe their peanut allergy treatment could be ready for human clinical trials in about three years.
Looking further ahead, they envision the same system being used to treat or prevent other allergies, and maybe even help people overcome type 1 diabetes — other researchers have already identified the epitopes that trigger the immune system to attack the cells that produce insulin in that condition.
“We’ve shown that our platform can work to calm peanut allergies, and we believe it may be able to do the same for other allergens, in food and drugs, as well as autoimmune conditions,” said Nel.
I texted my nurse sister today telling her the anti-vaxxer RFK JR was running for prez (she’s an anti-vaxxer herself). She was telling me how angry she was because they just lost their 4th patient with severe diabetes all of whom were vaxxed. They all died the same way. First requiring O2 supplementation then a few weeks or months later all died of congestive heart failure. She said she knew of several others from another unit that died exactly the same way.
So she confronts her supervisor and says this isn’t coincidental it’s got to be the vaxx. The supervisor (pro-vaxx) says yeah probably and just shrugged it off. None of these cases were reported as adverse effects from the vaxx so the number of those harmed by it is obviously a very lowball figure. My sister says nobody at work dares blaming the vaxx officially because they are afraid of the consequences if they do.
It hasn’t been used for pandemic use, either....
Hmm — if you stop breathing I presume your allergy problems are gone.
Line up, all you lab rats, or else.
Death is a cure for many maladies.
Makes sense, if you’re dead from the mRNA then no more allergies.
These days, that amounts to testing 6 rats and then having an army of "fact checkers" scream that it's safe and effective.
I guess that death is now considered a cure for Peanut allergies.
Researchers at UCLA have now used mRNA — the type of molecule used in the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines...
...........
Highly effective of WHAT?
The experimental mRNA gene therapy is not safe or effective.
If they can get it to eliminate my asthma sign me up.👍
So what brought on the peanut allergy phenomenon?
Who with a peanut allergy will give it a try?
The fatal side effects might not be worth getting to eat a peanut butter sandwich.
“”mRNA is the new global warming””
I was going to comment that soon there will be massive RFPs (Request For Proposals $$$) to ‘study’ the myriad of uses for mRNA. Any proposals to study the side effects will not just be rejected. Anyone even thinking of the words side effects will be banned from funding for life. Any organization, lab suggesting that such a thing as side effects is even possible will be banned, and referred to D.A. Bragg for criminal prosecution. mRNA ‘deniers’ will be a new criminal category, as well as a diagnosis. The new DSMVI will contain the mental health denier condition: Denier Dementia. Deniers will be characterized as anti-government and anti-woke.
Deniers believe that science is never ‘settled.’ Deniers believe that science is an ongoing process of observation, investigation, hypothesis, and testing, altering the hypothesis. Deniers do not believe in ‘consensus.’ They absolutely will not go along to get along. Deniers must be medicated and re-educated. Those too far gone to respond to medications and therapy must be ostracized to Florida, Texas, and other strongholds of Denier Dementia. Anyone traveling or spending ANY time in these strongholds of wrong-thinking must be fully examined for any signs of Denier Dementia contamination. Any friends or relatives must be fully aware of the possible contamination, and directed to the nearest clinic for examination.
“ Is there anything mRNA can’t do?”
Cure infertility. Cure enlarged heart. Cure clots. Cure immune deficiencies
Well, besides that.
Their modifying the gene pool and turning people into patentable gmo’s. One mRNA at a time.
Mrna therapy can cure allergies because the dead cannot sneeze.
“Mrna therapy can cure allergies because the dead cannot sneeze.”
Right. There is that!
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