Peanut Allergy Cure?

An allergy to peanuts is no joke. For some, just smelling peanuts can result in a fatal reaction. Which makes finding a cure all the more important and useful. A team from Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital may have done just that. The team effectively cured four children of their peanut allergy. 

Over the course of six mouths, the team gave the children larger and larger exposures to peanuts to build up their bodies' tolerance to the nut. By the end of the six month period the children could eat five peanuts a day and have no reaction. This is the first food allergy to be mitigated by exposure. 

Even though more testing needs to be done on the method, it does give people with the debilitating allergy hope. People with peanut allergies agonize over food products and often can't eat in certain restaurants because of the allergy. 

If the allergy is curable that means improved quality of life. (It also means airlines might start serving peanuts again. Here's hoping.) 

Originally reported by the BBC. 

Chickens Have Secrets to Allergies

A team of researches at King's College London found a "fossilized" version of the molecule responsible for human allergies in chickens. By studying the birds and this molecule, the researches hope to understand why some people develop server allergies and how to stop the body's reactions.

In birds, the molecule is called IgY and is a predecessor to the human version called IgE, which factors into the immune system overreacting during anaphylactic shock and asthma attacks. By understanding why IgY doesn't cause problems in birds, researchers can pinpoint why IgE does cause problems in humans. 

More research has to be done, but asthma sufferers and those with debilitating allergies may have a solution due to chickens and their ancient molecule.   

(Original reporting done by the BBC.)