http://www.postchronicle.com/news/health/article_212386411.shtml?rssfeed

Interesting read. It'll make a big difference if it can work in human trials.

"Paul Bryce and Stephen Miller of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said they turned off a life-threatening allergic response to peanuts by tricking the immune system into thinking the nut proteins aren't a threat to the body.

The system creates a more normal, balanced immune system by increasing the number of regulatory T cells -- immune cells important for recognizing the peanut proteins as normal, the researchers said.

"T cells come in different 'flavors,'" Bryce said in a statement. "This method turns off the dangerous Th2 T cell that causes the allergy and expands the good, calming regulatory T cells. We are supposed to be able to eat peanuts. We've restored this tolerance to the immune system.""

Maybe my kids won't have to go to "peanut free schools".

Definitely not worth jumping to conclusions, but this does give reason to be optimistic. It seems like basic logic here. If there are not enough regulatory T cells for the body to see the peanut protein as safe, then shouldn't more T cells be added? I know it should not be this simple which is why I am saying this to begin with.

I'm a bit skeptical as well, perhaps they're oversimplifying things for us. But, if it does come out to be true, I'll be extremely happy because I'm allergic to peanuts myself.

I was considered to be mildly allergic over 10 years ago. I think it just went away if was even there in the first place

I ate it every day until the doctors said I was allergic, and so now I only eat it when it is part of a food.

im not allergic but i dont even like peanuts,its amasing how many people are allergic to em.
One of my friends loves peanuts,and he goes wild when he gets his hands on em cuz hes not allowed them in his house,his sister is very allergic to em.
Last time we were near peanuts he ate 2 large packs...

It's alright to be skeptical about it, but you gotta remember that we continue to make medical progress over time. We have a lot more knowledge about biology than we did 5 or 10 years ago. If we can identify genes in people that cause certain diseases then being able to manipulate T cells should be possible. Scientists have even turned off a gene in mosquitoes that activates a "switch" that prevents them from sucking too much blood, causing them to explode.