Researchers help discover genetic key to food allergy condition
A recent breakthrough in understanding the cause of a rare, hard-to-treat allergic disorder has been made by a group of research institutions that include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI).
The discovery could lead to new targeted therapies for eosinophilic eophagitis (EoE). The allergic/immune condition causes inflammation of the oesophagus, usually from consuming foods such as dairy products, eggs, soy and wheat.
The condition can cause infants and toddlers to refuse food and hinder their development. Older children may have recurring abdominal pain, vomiting and trouble swallowing, while teenagers and adults typically have difficulty swallowing. Food may also become stuck in the inflamed oesophagus, creating a medical emergency.
Existing treatments for EoE are limited to prescribing long-term restrictive diets and steroid sprays to swallow.
“We hope this discovery will open the door to some additional treatment options,” said Stacie Jones, M.D., a professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics in the UAMS College of Medicine. She is also section chief of Allergy & Immunology and leads the allergy research team ACHRI.
The study found that EoE is triggered by the interaction between epithelial cells, which help form the lining of the oesophagus, and a gene called CAPN14. It also identified a marker that can be used to measure the activity of the disease, said UAMS’ Robert Pesek, M.D., an author on the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine.
“Currently, the only tool we have for measuring that is endoscopy, and that becomes impractical for repeated use on children,” Pesek said.
Although new treatments have yet to be realized, UAMS’ participation in EoE and other food allergy research gives Arkansas patients access to cutting-edge research and treatment expertise not available anywhere else in the state. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
