How Could Skin Patch Help Kids With Peanut Allergies?

Delivering small doses of peanut protein through a wearable skin patch may help kids suffering from peanut allergies. This is according to a recent study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study said almost half of the respondents treated using the skin patch were able to eat at least 10 times more peanut protein. Fox News reported that the greatest benefit was found among children aged four to 11 years. Respondents who were 12 years old and above did not experience as much of an effect.

According to Dr. Daniel Rotrosen from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, training the immune system of the skin to tolerate small amounts of peanuts is how the therapy works. In the study, researchers used Viaskin peanut patch to test 74 respondents aged four to 20 and have peanut allergies. According to CNN, the patch called epicutaneous immunotherapy built cellular tolerance to the nuts by releasing peanut proteins into the volunteers' skin. As a result, those who received higher doses were able to eat more peanuts after one year.

Meanwhile, researchers have also found that children aged four to eleven benefited the most. On the other hand, it was less significant for older respondents.The newly published findings were taken from the first year of trial; however, the researchers aim to continue monitoring the volunteers for a total of two and a half years. The trial was conducted at five different sites: Johns Hopkins University, Arkansas Children's Hospital, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the National Jewish Health Center in Denver, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. 

As of writing, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved the skin patch. Nevertheless, it has indeed revealed a promising therapy for people with peanut allergies.