One question inspired Erik Wambre, PhD, to dedicate his career to allergy research.
“Why can most people eat peanuts without a problem, but some people have a serious reaction to just a small amount?” he says. “What makes one person allergic and not another?”
Dr. Wambre’s research focuses on what causes allergies and how to stop them — including a key discovery of a cell type called TH2A that drives all allergic diseases. His team recently contributed to testing PALFORZIA, a treatment intended to help people who are allergic to peanuts gradually reduce their sensitivity to them.
“Having severe peanut allergies can mean constant fear — what if your child mistakenly eats a peanut on an airplane and has a life-threatening reaction?” Dr. Wambre says. “This therapy can help lessen that fear.”
Allergies happen when your immune system responds aggressively to something harmless (like a peanut). For food allergies, the current standard of care is to avoid the things you react to. But this is difficult because allergens like nuts and soy are in so many foods — and some people experience severe reactions to even small amounts of them.
