Researchers at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead are investigating a new method to safely reduce allergic responses to peanuts in children.
The new trial, led by Professor Dianne Campbell, Head of Allergy & Immunology Research Unit at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, will use peanut doses along with a dietary fibre supplement to train the body to become tolerant to peanut.
"We are interested in trying to develop improved and safer ways of desensitising children to peanut," Professor Dianne Campbell said.
"Currently oral desensitisation studies have shown short term desensitisation can be achieved in many individuals, but getting more permanent tolerance to peanut has not been possible".
The dietary fibre supplement, which has been modified by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), contains short chain fatty acids (SCFA) designed for gut absorption to build immune tolerance of the child.
"If proven successful, this method of treatment will positively improve the management of peanut allergy in children," Professor Campbell said.
The Oral Peanut Immunotherapy with a Modified Dietary Starch Adjuvant for treatment of peanut allergy (OPIA), trial will involve children aged between 10-16 years that have proven peanut allergies and will be followed over the course of two years.
During the trial, the child will visit The Children’s Hospital at Westmead every two weeks, the peanut dosage will be increased under careful observation by doctors and nurses.
In Australia, peanut allergies affect 3-5% of children and there is no definitive cure.
"Peanut allergies are the third highest food allergy affecting children and the risk of accidental peanut contact for any of these children can be life threatening," Professor Campbell said.
Currently, there are only two management options for peanut allergies. The first is to strictly avoid the consumption of peanuts in a child’s diet, which can negatively impact a child’s lifestyle.
The second is through oral immunotherapy where a child daily ingests a controlled amount of peanut to help desensitise the body. However, if a dose is missed, the child can redevelop the allergic reaction, which can be serious the next time the food is consumed.
"While current management options can be effective, we are optimistic that our trial will introduce a safer way to manage peanut allergies in the future," Professor Campbell said.
To find more information on OPIA clinical trial and to express your interest in taking part, head to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s website. ---
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