Safer treatments for asthma and hay fever could result from modifying the
protein that causes the allergy to dust mites. Researchers working for the
Japanese company Asahi Breweries say that repeated injections of the allergen
can make the body “learn” to tolerate the protein better. But in rare cases the
treatment can cause life-threatening anaphylactic shock. However, in the current
issue of Nature Biotechnology(vol 15, p 754), the researchers report
that by removing a single sulphur to sulphur bond from the allergen molecule,
they were able to treat patients without any side effects.
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