First-of-its-Kind mRNA Treatment Could Wipe Out a Peanut Allergy

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a world-first mRNA medicine in tiny nanoparticles that reversed peanut allergies in mice and equipped the body with the microbiological tools to stop the condition from developing. The team packaged up mRNA inside a nanoparticle and delivered it to the liver, where it instructed specific cells to tolerate peanut proteins. This built on their 2021 research, which saw a nanoparticle deliver a protein fragment to the liver to alleviate egg allergies in mice, and their 2022 discovery of the epitope connected to peanut allergies. The researchers are confident the treatment will go to clinical trials within three years and could be adapted to treat other allergies and type 1 diabetes. The study was published in the journal ACS Nano.

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Photo Credit: Isai Dzib