Yahoo News Boy, 11, can eat peanuts every day after joining revolutionary allergy trial
Parents of allergic children have reported significant improvements after participating in the ground-breaking £2.5 million Natasha Clinical Trial.
Funded by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the trial utilises everyday foods given in controlled doses under medical supervision in order to condition patients' bodies to tolerate allergens.
By treating young people suffering from food allergies, the strategy aims to prevent adverse reactions due to accidental consumption of the allergen.
Hasan Arshad, professor of allergy and clinical immunology at the University of Southampton and chief investigator of the trial, said: "We must wait until the trial is complete for the full picture but we are very pleased with the results we are seeing so far."
Thomas Farmer, 11, who was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy when he was just a year old, can now eat six peanuts a day after joining the trial in Southampton.
His mother Lauren said: "For Thomas to be able to achieve all this with no medicine – just off-the-shelf foods – is amazing."
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Co-chief investigator Dr Paul Turner, reader in paediatric allergy and clinical immunology at Imperial College London, said: "While introducing potential food allergens into a baby’s diet in a safe way can prevent food allergies from developing in the first place, this doesn’t always work and cannot help those who already have food allergies."
The three-year research programme, conducted by academic institutions including the University of Southampton and Imperial College London, is the first major study by Natasha's Foundation.
Natasha’s parents Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, who have both been awarded OBEs for their services to charity and people with allergies, are delighted with how the trial is progressing.
Tanya said: "We are so happy that some children with peanut and milk allergies are already seeing the benefits of using everyday foods under medical supervision to treat their allergic disease.
"If Natasha were alive today, this is exactly the type of research she would have loved to be part of. This is a major first step in our mission to make food allergies history. We look forward to seeing the final results."
Nadim said: "We can’t rely on big pharma and its giant profits to be a game-changer for people living with allergies. That is why we are harnessing the support of the food industry, who have helped fund this trial, to prove that OIT can work with everyday foods, making it more feasible to be available on the NHS."
The trial began in 2023 and includes children aged 2 to 23 with peanut or cow’s milk allergies.
