Nanoparticle with mRNA appears to prevent, treat peanut allergies in mice

Key takeawaysPeanuts are one of the most common food allergens for children.UCLA scientists have developed a nanoparticle that delivers mRNA to liver cells in order to teach the immune system to tolerate peanut protein and alleviate allergies.In mice, the nanoparticle successfully dampened symptoms of serious allergy.Peanut allergies affect 1 in 50 children, and the most severe cases lead to a potentially deadly immune reaction called anaphylactic shock.Currently, there is only one approved treatment that reduces the severity of the allergic reaction, and it takes months to kick in. A group of UCLA immunologists is aiming to change that.Taking inspiration from COVID-19 vaccines as well as their own research on the disease, they created a first-of-its-kind nanoparticle — so small it’s measured in billionths of a meter — that delivers mRNA to specific cells in the liver. Those cells, in turn, teach the body’s natural defenses to tolerate peanut proteins.In testing in mice, the nanoparticle not only reversed peanut allergies, but also prevented them from developing.The study was published in the journalACS Nano.“As far as we can find, mRNA has never been used for an allergic disease,” said Dr. André Nel, the paper’s co-corresponding author, a UCLA distinguished professor of medicine and director of research at theCalifornia NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.“We’ve shown that our platform can work to calm peanut allergies, and we believe it may be able to do the sa...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news