By Michael Goldberg | Project Leader
These past few months have been busy at the Center for Allergy at Assaf HaRofeh. First and foremost, we are very happy to report successful treatment for the first of our patients with walnut allergy. Ben (age 8.5), was among the first of our patients to sign up for treenut oral immunotherapy (OIT). Within five months of treatment, he progressed from requiring an EpiPen by his side at all times in case of accidental exposure, to being able to freely consume walnuts. For the first time, Ben was able to start the school year without worrying about what his third-grade classmates were bringing for lunch. Ben's mother, Einat, describes that fear of exposure was in fact the biggest initial hurdle for her son to overcome in undergoing walnut OIT, and credits the staff at the Center for Allergy with facilitating Ben's success. Looking forward, Ben will be followed up periodically to ascertain the maintenance of his desensitization to walnuts. An article (in Hebrew) appearing in the Israel Hayom daily newspaper is attached to this update. We wish Ben and his family the very best, and are looking forward to including other treenut allergic patients on the list of OIT successes.
In other developments, we are pleased to report that the Center for Allergy has received funding from the Israel Dairy Council to study the effects of milk exposure on the gut microbiota. The gut microbiota is the microorgansimal population of the stomach and intestine. In recent years, the relationship between the gut microbiota population and human health has gained appreciation. In collaboration with the Bar Ilan University Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, we will be investigating the gut microbiota of different groups of food allergic patients. In addition, we will be examining the gut microbiota of patients as they undergo OIT for milk to see if microbiota changes can be associated with successful treatment. The results of this study should be interesting, as they should shed light on some of the symbiotic mechanisms that are associated with allergy, specific food consumption, and immunotherapy.
We thank you for your support for our project, and look forward to updating you on our continued progress.
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