Asthma cure hope
Published: April 3, 2006
AUSTRALIAN scientists are leading a worldwide trial to develop a vaccine for childhood asthma and allergies.
The trial, based at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth, will involve 200 children from Perth, Melbourne and New York, who will be given a daily dose of of drops consisting of dust mite, grass and cat allergens.
The Herald Sun understands the Melbourne section of the trial will be based at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
It will later be expanded into Germany and Sweden.
The method is the same as that used in desensitisation programs for current asthma suffers, where small doses of asthma-causing allergens are administered to prevent further disease.
The difference is the new trial will involve children who do not have asthma, but who are at high risk of developing the condition because of their family history.
TICHR Head of Clinical Sciences Professor Peter Sly said the trail would involve children aged 18-30 months.
The children will be treated with the drops for 12 months and monitored for up to five years.
“The basis of treatment is the fact that we know their immune systems are immature at that age and the immune system learns from exposure to the environment things that are dangerous that it needs to fight and things that aren’t dangerous that it can ignore,” he said.
“People that develop asthma and allergies, their immune system has switched off
the mechanism that recognises the difference.
“By exposing them we hope to switch on their immune system and teach it to ignore (the asthma and allergy symptoms).”
At the age of six, 40 per cent of children have developed asthma and allergies.
Prof Sly said if the trial were successful it would offer hope to parents whose children had a high risk of developing asthma and allergies. “It’s a prevention strategy,” he said.
“This is for the future, to change the nature of asthma in the future.
“If we can prevent allergies happening we can stop future generations having so many children affected by asthma.”
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