A new cell type that could stop allergies before they begin has been discovered by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU).
The finding gives hope to people who live with a range of allergic conditions including asthma, eczema and life-threatening anaphylaxis.
“By carefully studying the tonsils of children undergoing routine tonsillectomies, we identified a new cell type of the immune system that may help prevent allergies,” said lead researcher and PhD scholar Pablo F Canete.
“In allergic individuals, the immune system thinks that harmless particles like peanuts, dust or common allergens are a threat.
“The immune system then mounts a response which manifests itself from mild localised symptoms like a runny nose during hay fever season, to very aggressive systemic inflammation like anaphylaxis.”
For people with allergies, when the immune system overreacts to allergens – like pollen, dust or peanut butter – it produces antibodies called Immunoglobulin E, (IgE).
The IgE antibodies then trigger a chain of events that result in allergic reactions.
“Our study shows this previously unknown cell prevents the formation of IgE, which is the key trigger of allergic conditions,” said Mr Canete, who is based in the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research.
“The cell stops the very first step in causing an allergic disease.
“If you don’t have excessive IgE levels, you generally do not develop allergies.”
The discovery could create a new approach for future allergy treatments.
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