Buzz
A 'Trojan horse' approach to tackling asthma and allergies has been unveiled by scientists at Northwestern University. Digital Vision/Laguna Design/Meschaman/GettyFor those battling allergies or asthma, a future free from temporary remedies and over-the-counter medications may be on the horizon. A breakthrough by Northwestern University researchers could permanently eliminate allergies by training the body to recognize harmless substances, such as specific foods or environmental triggers like pollen, as non-threatening.
The research was detailed in the April edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The primary role of the immune system is to defend against harmful bacteria and viruses. However, it can sometimes misfire, treating harmless substances like eggs or shellfish as threats. This triggers the production of antibodies to combat these allergens, leading to symptoms such as inflammation, mucus production, itching, and sneezing — the classic signs of an allergic reaction.
While antihistamines and similar medications merely manage allergy symptoms, scientists have discovered a way to "smuggle" allergens into the body, tricking the immune system into perceiving them as harmless.
The process involved creating dissolvable nanoparticles from a polymer approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, composed of lactic acid and glycolic acid. These nanoparticles were loaded with egg protein and injected into mice engineered to be allergic to eggs. Upon re-exposure to eggs, the mice exhibited asthma-like allergic reactions.
However, after receiving the nanoparticle injections, the mice's immune systems began to recognize egg proteins as safe, preventing any adverse reactions. The nanoparticles, carrying the hidden allergens, were absorbed by macrophages, also known as "vacuum-cleaner" cells.
"The macrophage presents the allergen to the immune system in a manner that signals, 'This is safe, no need to worry.' This halts the immune system's attack on the allergen and restores it to a normal state," explained Stephen Miller, the study's senior author, in a press release.
An additional, surprising advantage was observed: the mice's immune systems became more robust. The nanoparticles deactivated the harmful Th2 T cells responsible for allergic reactions and increased the population of regulatory T cells, which help stabilize the immune system.
These discoveries could revolutionize allergy treatments across the board. "It's a universal solution. You can load the nanoparticle with any allergen, whether it's ragweed pollen or peanut protein, to target specific allergies," said Miller, a research professor of Microbiology-Immunology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
The research team is now concentrating on conducting additional trials in mice, with the ultimate goal of testing in humans.
While this marks the first application of the nanoparticle method for allergies, it has previously been explored in preclinical studies at Northwestern for autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and celiac disease.
