Tick-borne red meat allergy prevented in mice through new nanoparticle treatment

Nanoparticles delivered intravenously in mice can block the allergic reactions to red meat caused by the bite of the lone star tick, new research led by the University of Michigan shows.

The condition, called alpha-gal syndrome, is on the rise in humans as climate change and other factors have led the ticks to expand their habitat.

Developed at U-M, the nanoparticles contain allergens that retrain the immune system to ignore the type of sugar found in beef, pork, lamb and other mammals. Once the nanoparticles were delivered to test subjects, University of Virginia research collaborators exposed those mice to ticks to trigger an immune response to alpha-gal sugars. In 10 out of 12 mice, a reduced immune response was recorded.

Other nanoparticles developed at U-M have shown similar effectiveness in dealing with more common egg and peanut allergies. Research published in May showed two doses of allergen-encapsulating nanoparticles delivered intravenously prevented anaphylaxis during allergy tests in mice.

Food allergies often leave those affected with few options other than avoiding whatever products cause the reactions.

Image source: CDC, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.