An allergy could be defined as an exaggerated reaction of the immune system against foreign bodies or substances – allergens – that it classifies as enemies: a dust particle, a pollen grain, a food, a bee sting, a medicine … The most obvious strategy to combat them would be to “convince” our body’s defenses not to attack these harmless intruders. And that is what a group of researchers from Northwestern University, in Illinois (United States) is trying, with success, thanks to one of the most promising approaches in biomedicine today: nanotechnology. The research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The researchers’ idea is as simple as it is clever: introducing the allergen into the body under a kind of “friendly shell” – a biodegradable nanoparticle – that manages to deactivate the alarms of the immune system. After testing it in mice that had an asthmatic-type allergy to eggs, Stephen Miller, one of the study participants, said: “The findings represent a new, safe and effective long-term method to treat, and even cure, patients ”.
Developed by the company Cour Pharmaceuticals Development, these tiny capsules are composed of a biopolymer called PLGA , which incorporates lactic acid, glycolic acid and, of course, the substance that is intended to be erased from the list of potential enemies. They are injected into the blood of the affected person and, after completing their mission, are eaten by a specialized cell called a macrophage.
In addition, these nanoparticles also seem to increase the number of regulatory cells – T lymphocytes – that balance the immune system and prevent allergic reactions against substances that do not pose a risk to our health.
