Researchers at the UNC School of Medicine secured a $3.5 million federal grant funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop a long-lasting, safer treatment for peanut allergies. Affecting roughly 2% of the U.S. population, peanut allergies frequently cause severe anaphylaxis, forcing families to maintain strict food avoidance and carry emergency EpiPens for protection.
Federal Funding Targets Peanut Allergy Limitations
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provided the $3.5 million grant to help researchers move an innovative therapeutic approach closer to human clinical trials. Mike Kulis, PhD, at the UNC School of Medicine who leads the project, brings personal experience to the research after spending two decades studying food allergy therapies. Kulis lives with peanut and tree nut allergies, while his 7-year-old son manages peanut and egg allergies.
“I am hopeful there will be a variety of therapeutic options for those with food allergies in the coming years, so that we can lessen the fear and anxiety we often experience,” Kulis said.
Limitations of Current FDA-Approved Treatments
Current U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatments for peanut allergies offer some relief but present distinct drawbacks that drive the need for new alternatives. Oral immunotherapy requires daily dosing and frequently triggers allergic reactions during the treatment course. Meanwhile, an existing injectable antibody drug must be administered indefinitely and fails to alter the patient’s underlying allergic immune response.
To overcome these barriers, the UNC-led team aims to alter how the immune system reacts to peanut allergens entirely, targeting lasting immune changes rather than short-term management.
Virus-Like Particles and Animal Study Results
The research team utilizes tiny, noninfectious particles known as virus-like particles as a scaffold to display small peptide segments of the major peanut protein Ara h 2. During earlier work supported by a prior National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grant, researchers administered these virus-like particles alongside a clinical-grade immune booster, or adjuvant, to mice.
The testing showed that treated animals developed strong protective antibody responses and avoided peanut allergies. In mice already allergic to the food, the therapy successfully shifted immune responses away from allergy and toward protection. With the new federal funding, the investigators plan to expand this testing to prepare for a first-in-human clinical trial.
“Specifically, we aim to generate IgG antibodies focused on small segments, called peptide epitopes, of the major peanut allergens to prevent allergic reactions,” Kulis stated.
Collaborative Research Team and Future Goals
Kulis is joined in the project by Johanna Smeekens, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine; M.G. Finn, PhD, a Regents’ professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology; and Brian Vickery, MD, a professor and chief of Allergy & Immunology at the Emory School of Medicine.
By the conclusion of the current project cycle, researchers anticipate identifying one or more leading therapeutic candidates and gathering the data required to initiate human trials. Beyond peanuts, the team hopes to use this methodology as a model for addressing other major food allergies.
“Our vision is to provide proof of concept using peanut allergy as a model, then expand to other food allergies such as egg, milk, cashew, and shrimp,” Kulis said. “Ultimately, we hope to have a therapy that can make lasting changes to the underlying immune responses that make a person allergic to peanut or other foods.”
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