HDHL Preventing peanut allergy through improved understanding of the transcutaneous sensitisation route, novel food processing and skin care

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Allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis and food allergies affect many children across Europe. The immune responses to oral food allergens are well-established and controlled oral allergen exposure methods in early life have been developed that can prevent food allergies.There is mounting evidence that early life cutaneous exposure to foods causes sensitisation, especially in the presence of dry skin and atopic dermatitis. Despite this, very little is known about how the cutaneous sensitisation to food allergies occurs. This project aims to reduce the risk of peanut allergy development through the transcutaneous route by understanding the mechanisms through which this occurs, and by designing and testing novel prevention approaches, such as modification in the peanut manufacturing processes and the adaptation of skin care practices.These aims will be addressed through integrated projects undertaken taken forward by leaders in their respective fields from the UK, Germany, and France. Each of these projects will be known separately as work-plans. Work-plan 1 will look into the effects of food processing upon the solubility of peanut protein and its components in oil and how this relates to the cutaneous exposure to peanut protein. Work-plan 2 will examine the effect of peanut protein skin contamination and skin appendage trapping. Work-plan 3 will study the immune system activation induced by massage and cutaneous peanut exposure. Work-plan 4 will use an interventional study approach with skin massage to study the immune responses to peanut allergen in those with a skin barrier defect. Work-plan 5 will examine the cutaneous immune responses to peanut allergen in those suffering of peanut allergy, and, work-plan 6 will translate the overall findings through working with an industrial peanut processing partner, patients and consumers.The discoveries derived from the project will be shared with industry partners, charities, national and international food standards agencies to ensure stakeholder awareness and to encourage the findings of our work to be translated into improved public health measures with the hope to ultimately to reduce the burden of peanut allergy at the population level.