For families living with peanut allergies, daily life is a constant cycle of label-reading and anxiety over accidental exposure. While current treatments offer “desensitization“—a temporary shield that requires lifelong daily doses—a new investigational therapy called PRT120 is aiming for something more permanent. Developed by Prota Therapeutics and led by Dr Mimi Tang, this treatment seeks to “rewire” the immune system to achieve durable remission, allowing patients to eventually stop therapy altogether.
The fundamental difference between PRT120 and existing treatments lies in how the body reacts to the allergen. Most current products only protect against small amounts of peanut (about four peanuts) and require the patient to continue strict avoidance. In contrast, PRT120 uses a high-dose maintenance regimen designed to fundamentally change the immune response. Dr Tang explains that “PRT120 is designed to redirect the immune system away from an allergic response to peanuts and toward a state of remission.”
This “rewiring” occurs at a biological level by switching off the pathways that cause allergic reactions. Specifically, the therapy reduces peanut-specific IgE—the antibody responsible for reactions—and shifts the body’s T cells from an “allergic” profile to a “regulated” one. According to Dr Tang, “the immune system is not just dampened; it is rewired to respond differently to peanuts,” creating a biological change that lasts even after the treatment stops.
The clinical results for PRT120 have been highly promising. In Phase 2b studies, 73% of children treated were able to tolerate about 25 to 30 peanuts at the end of an 18-month period. Even more significant is the durability of this protection: about 51% of patients achieved full remission, meaning they could stop treatment and still remain protected. Dr Tang notes that “those children who achieve challenge-defined remission… can stop treatment and freely introduce peanut into their diets.”
Long-term follow-ups show that this isn’t just a fleeting success. Two to three years after finishing the treatment, over 90% of the children who achieved remission were still eating peanuts regularly without any severe reactions. This provides a level of freedom that current “maintenance-style” therapies cannot offer. Dr Tang highlights that “the anxiety does not go away” with standard desensitization, but PRT120 aims to provide “fuller, longer-lasting protection and meaningfully reduce the broader pressures of living with food allergy.”
The impact on quality of life is perhaps the most meaningful outcome for families. Children in remission reported significant improvements in emotional well-being and social freedom, gains not observed in children who were only desensitized. By reaching a state where they no longer need to fear every crumb, families move from constant vigilance to confidence. As Dr Tang puts it, achieving this tolerance moves families “towards more assurance and a confident way of life.”
While PRT120 is still in the investigational stage and awaiting regulatory approval, its success suggests a bright future for allergy treatment. Early data indicate that this high-dose, “rewiring” approach might also work for milk and egg allergies. For now, the focus remains on perfecting the peanut treatment, offering hope that one day, a peanut allergy will be a manageable condition of the past rather than a lifelong burden.
