Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergic Patients

Since our last update, the staff at the Center for Allergy at Assaf HaRofeh has continued work in oral immunotherapy  (OIT) treatment and research. In addition to our other allergy testing and OIT programs, treenut allergy testing has proceeded with a total of forty-two patients tested by oral food challenge, and four patients have enrolled in our treatment program, for almonds and walnuts. As mentioned in our previous update, a major complicating issue with treenut allergies is the cross-reactivity which can arise due to allergenic proteins that are shared between different types of nuts. In order to facilitate better allergic testing, we are pursuing  research collaborations allowing us to test the reactivity of our patients' sera with particular treenut protein components. This should give us some idea regarding the association between serum reactivity to specific treenut proteins,and allergy. In addition, as mentioned in our last update, we are continuing to investigate whether the basophil activation test (BAT), is able to accurately distinguish patients with different treenut allergies.

In addition to our work on treenut allergy, we are currently wrapping up a study on sesame allergy diagnosis. Accurate testing for sesame allergy has been challenging, but with the increased worldwide popularity of Mediterranean diets, it has become more important. We found that BAT in conjunction with a specific type of skin prick test, was able to distinguish between patients with sesame allergy, and those who had sensitization (for example, skin sensitivity) without true allergy. We aim to apply the knowledge gained from our research toward better treatment options for patients with food allergies and their families.

 As always, we thank you for supporting our project!