Is Gene Editing the Cure to Allergies?
Gene editing is being used to treat allergies at the source. From peanuts to pets, how far will scientists go to combat allergies?
Photo Source: Bayer
When I was in college, one of my roommates filled out paperwork to keep an emotional support cat in our dorm. Once she was finished, she asked everyone else in the apartment if it would be okay. I had bad news for her: I’m allergic to cats. Unless she wanted to get a Sphynx cat- she didn’t- we weren’t going to have any cats in the apartment. But if another set of roommates has a similar problem a couple decades from now, there may be another solution.
Recently, scientists have begun to explore the possibility of using CRISPR and other gene editing techniques to treat allergies at the source. Rather than treating the symptoms as they emerge, researchers aim to produce versions of a food or animal that doesn’t contain the symptom-producing allergen at all.
Proof of concept has been demonstrated in the cells gathered from cats, peanuts, soybeans, wheat and cow's milk, but has not been implemented in a living organism yet. However, in May 2023, researchers used transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALEN), another form of gene editing technology, to genetically modify hens to lay eggs lacking ovomucoid, the primary allergen in egg whites. According to ScienceDirect, the results were eggs that were “less allergenic than standard egg whites, and they may be used as a safe ingredient in heat-processed foods that are acceptable to patients with egg allergies.”
While not available on the market yet, it seems likely that these eggs could make life easier for anyone suffering from an egg allergy – mostly children, who might not remember to check if something contains eggs before eating it. Therefore, widely adopting allergy-friendly eggs could cut down on the number of EpiPen uses in elementary schools. In fact, using gene editing in other foods, such as peanuts, which nearly 2.5 percent of American children are allergic to, could save lives by preventing instances of anaphylactic shock at the source.
Companies have also been working to bring gene-edited pets to the market. Biotechnology company InBio is using CRISPR to delete Fel d 1, found in a cat’s saliva, skin and fur, and responsible for most cat allergen responses. They were successful in removing the protein in feline cell cultures, but have yet to move on to the animal itself. Until they do, an allergen-free cat won’t be entering the market.
In these examples, the changes happen at the source. Rather than treating a human suffering from allergies, gene editing is used to change the source of the allergy so that it’s no longer a problem. This works great for food and animal allergies, but not so well for seasonal allergies.
Trying to change the source of seasonal allergies would be a massive undertaking involving multiple different species, something that’s logistically impossible and may have a questionable environmental impact. This means that to treat seasonal allergies, we have to treat the person suffering from them, rather than the source. There are multiple ways to do this, including allergy shots, medication and staying indoors, but it seems unlikely that a gene edited treatment will reach the market shortly.
Despite this, gene editing still has a role to play in developing seasonal allergy treatments. Researchers at Stanford University have partnered with Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) to use CRISPR to discover druggable targets for allergen treatments. Should this effort be successful, allergen drugs could be better targeted and more effective. Fortunately, success seems likely, with Dr. Mark Behlke, Chief Scientific Officer of IDT, telling Stanford Medicine, “I am confident that important new findings will emerge over the next few years.”
Of course, the impact of these developments will be dependent on the market demand. According to Warp News, more than 82 percent of people would be unwilling to buy a genetically-modified pet, meaning there might not be much of a market for an allergy-friendly cat. Individual consumers might be willing to buy allergy-friendly eggs and peanuts, but others might only be interested in organic foods. For myself, I think I would happily buy a gene-edited cat or eat an allergy-free egg, but what do you think? Is this the next logical step in treating allergies, or would you prefer to leave things as they are? Let us know what you think.
Best,
Grace for the Don’t Count Us Out Yet Team