Allergy News and Research

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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

Sensory neurons remember past allergens to trigger future allergic reactions

Mass General Brigham researchers found that sensory neurons retain a 'memory' of allergens that may help explain why allergies develop over time.

22 Sep 2026

SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 drives macrophage infection and lung inflammation

In the sickest COVID-19 patients, the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells.

18 Sep 2026

Can maternal diet prevent infant food allergy? A large trial puts eggs and peanuts to the test

A large Australian randomized trial of 2,137 pregnant women tested whether substantially increasing egg and peanut consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding could prevent food allergy in infants with a strong family history of allergic disease. Higher maternal intake did not significantly reduce IgE-mediated egg or peanut allergy at 1 year, although the lower-than-expected allergy rate limited statistical power and the results could not exclude a clinically important benefit.

17 Sep 2026

Weill Cornell Medicine receives $17.4 million grant to shorten tuberculosis treatment

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have received a $17.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to discover new approaches to shorten tuberculosis (TB) treatment, potentially making it easier for patients to complete therapy.

17 Sep 2026

Immunotherapy combined with BCG vaccine drastically lowers tuberculosis relapse risk

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's leading causes of death, and preventing post-treatment relapse continues to be a major worldwide health challenge.

17 Sep 2026

Silica and dust mites combine to worsen asthma inflammation

Inflammation associated with asthma and other allergic airway diseases can be significantly worsened by exposure to both house dust mite allergens and crystalline silica, according to a new study published in the journal Allergy.

15 Sep 2026

Tirzepatide vs semaglutide for asthma: the difference was smaller than researchers expected

In a US multicenter electronic health record study, researchers compared tirzepatide with semaglutide in adults with asthma and type 2 diabetes, matching 8,176 patients in each treatment group. Asthma exacerbation risk was similar between treatments, while tirzepatide was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving a short-acting beta-agonist prescription.

14 Sep 2026

Lupus-linked genetic variants may boost antiviral immunity

Why do genetic variants that increase the risk of autoimmune disease remain so common in the population?

11 Sep 2026

Nanoparticle platform reliably detects true cases of antibiotic allergy

A multidisciplinary scientific team at the University of Malaga has developed a new technology based on magnetic nanoparticles that enables precise, rapid and reliable diagnosis of allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics, including amoxicillin and other penicillins.

11 Sep 2026

Skin microbiome changes may predict infant eczema and food allergies

The first clues that a baby may develop eczema or food allergies could be hiding in the microscopic organisms living on their skin, according to a study led by researchers in Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

9 Sep 2026

Standard pediatric blood pressure thresholds miss early trauma warning signs

Blood pressure thresholds commonly used to identify dangerously unstable vital signs in children may not signal trouble soon enough after a traumatic injury, according to a national study of more than 230,000 pediatric trauma patients.

9 Sep 2026

New biologic therapy significantly reduces COPD flare-ups in trials

Two international clinical trials led in part by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that the investigational biologic therapy tozorakimab significantly reduced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) flare-ups among patients already receiving standard treatment for the disease compared to patients only receiving standard treatment.

8 Sep 2026

Genetic marker links popular seizure drug to life-threatening reaction

A genetic marker already used to flag risk of a life-threatening reaction to the antibiotic vancomycin also identifies patients at risk of that reaction to lamotrigine - and it is missing from the gene panels clinicians order before prescribing the drug, Vanderbilt Health-led researchers report Sept. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

2 Sep 2026

Nanoparticle flu vaccine design could pave way for broader protection

Influenza viruses constantly shapeshift to evade recognition by the immune system. This shapeshifting occurs in critical proteins like hemagglutinin (HA), which controls how the virus attaches to human cells before entering them.

2 Sep 2026

Children's Colorado launches new program to expand treatment options for children with food allergies

Children's Hospital Colorado's Allergy and Immunology Center today launched its Sublingual Immunotherapy Program at its Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, expanding treatment options for children with certain food allergies.

1 Sep 2026

Study reveals how melanoma weakens skin cell immune defenses

Cancers actively remodel their surrounding cells and tissues to create a microenvironment that favors their growth, survival, and spread.

1 Sep 2026

Mayo Clinic joins multi-million dollar gene-editing project for children

Mayo Clinic is a clinical collaborator on an award of up to $27.7 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to help develop affordable, scalable gene-editing therapies for children with rare inherited immune disorders.

27 Aug 2026

Scientists identify new drug target to combat airborne tuberculosis

Tuberculosis bacteria released into the air from infected individuals dry out to form infectious particles that are second only to measles in contagiousness.

26 Aug 2026

Gene removal makes engineered immune cells more effective against osteosarcoma

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that removing the gene for Regnase-1 from engineered immune cells makes them more effective at treating relapsed osteosarcoma.

25 Aug 2026

Tick-borne alpha-gal syndrome poses potential risks during blood transfusions

A new multi-institute study led by researchers at Dartmouth Health and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth suggests that alpha-gal syndrome, the tick-borne disease that can result in a chronic allergy to meat and animal byproducts, also may complicate certain patients' ability to safely receive a blood plasma or platelet transfusion.

24 Aug 2026