According to US News and World Report, a study presented this week at a meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) described the case of a boy who was cured of his peanut allergy after a bone marrow transplant.
The boy, diagnosed at 15 months with a peanut allergy, had a bone marrow transplant from a donor with no known allergies as treatment for leukemia at 10 years old. After the transplant, subsequent tests and a food challenge with peanut butter confirmed the boy was cured of his peanut allergy.
“It has been reported that bone marrow and liver transplants can transfer peanut allergy from donor to recipient,” study author Dr. Yong Luo said in a news release from the ACAAI. “But our research found a rare case in which a transplant seems to have cured the recipient of their allergy.”
While this study is preliminary and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, it may provide important clues toward a possible cure for food allergies.
