This Tiny Skin Patch Might Cure Peanut Allergies
Those who battle with food allergies know too well the struggle of having to check, double check and then TRIPLE CHECK every little ingredient on restaurant menus. But imagine if you were able to outgrow your food allergies. The future is here, and scientists are on a mission to turn us all into superhumans who don’t have to deal with allergies anymore at all.
Viaskin Peanut Patch is a new little skin patch that works by administering super small doses of peanut protein through the skin. Little by little, your body is supposed to develop an immunity through the patch. But there’s a catch: It’s only being tested on children and young adults (up to age 25). Every morning, participants in the study placed either a high-dosage, low dosage or placebo peanut patch on their arm or shoulder.
After a year of testing, subjects came back to the lab and researchers tested to see if their peanut tolerance had changed. For about half of the participants on the low dosage or high dosage patch, their immune system was better able to deal with the presence of peanuts in their body. Participants between age four and 11 responded especially well to the treatment, basically proving that the immune system is easier to adapt when it’s younger.
The study is going to continue for another 18 months, but if all goes well, the treatment should be commercially available in the very near future.
How do you deal with allergies? Let us know @BritandCo!
(h/t Gizmodo; photo via Getty)
