健康英语新闻:Peanut allergies may be cured in future

BEIJING, Oct. 12(Xinhuanet) -- People allergic to peanuts may find relief in a new research by American scientists, according to Huffington Post Monday.

Scientists from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have found a way to turn off allergic responses by creating an immune system tolerant to peanuts.

They attached peanut proteins, the source of the allergy, to white blood cells of mice. Then the mice's immune systems would recognise the proteins and become tolerant to them.

When people eat peanuts, allergic human bodies would recognize peanut proteins as invading pathogens and trigger immune responses like throat swelling, even closing up, which can be lethal. Ditto for mice's bodies.

But when peanut protein attached to the body's own cells, the immune systems would regard the peanut proteins as perfectly normal and not attack the cells, said Paul Bryce, an assistant professor involved in the study. Then the allergic responses disappeared.

The research was conducted on mice. But the scientists expected the method to cure peanut allergies could apply to humans, according to Huffington Post.

Although the research was promising, it did not mean that peanut allergies in humans could be actually cured in the foreseeable future, said Dr. Clifford Basset medical director at Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, to ABC News, "Its all about education, prevention and preparedness".