Scientists Find a Possible New Way to Fight a Dangerous Tick-Borne Allergy

A deadly tick-borne allergy might have finally met its match. Scientists are hopeful that they may have discovered a potential treatment for alpha-gal syndrome. Read on for all of the promising details.

Scientists Tout Breakthrough in Alpha-Gal Syndrome Treatment

An experimental treatment is showing great promise in the fight against alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). This serious tick-borne allergy is often referred to as the red meat allergy. The potentially life-threatening allergy to red meat can develop after a tick bite.

Medical researchers believe that they may have discovered specially designed antibodies that could work as a shield against AGS. The results of the breakthrough were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

People with AGS often exhibit allergic reactions after eating red meat containing alpha-gal. The lone star tick is typically associated with AGS in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "When a tick bites, it can transfer alpha-gal from its saliva into a person's blood. The body's natural defenses, or immune system, can identify alpha-gal as a threat and trigger an allergic reaction."

Researchers involved in the study used malaria parasites to look for antibodies that might identify alpha-gal in them. The scientists then collected immune cells from individuals who had been exposed to malaria. The next step was to isolate the 42 human antibodies that could potentially recognize alpha-gal.

Over a Dozen of the Antibodies Bound to the Allergens

Although most of the antibodies were not effective against the specific allergens triggered by AGS, 13 of the 42 antibodies bound to the allergens. It should be noted that the antibodies were tested on isolated immune cells in a blood-based experiment and were not given directly to patients with AGS.

Another round of data demonstrated that the AG028 and AG050 antibodies could bind parasite-fighting IgE (Immunoglobulin E), but still had the ability to generate concerning allergic reactions. Researchers were able to determine that these two antibodies could prevent IgE from binding to several key allergens.

Of the antibodies, AG028 showed the most potential for treatment. This antibody reduced a rare type of white blood cell known as basophil activation by as much as 86% in one patient's serum sample. While it did not completely prevent the allergic reaction from happening, the results signal that these antibodies might be the key to developing a treatment to target the allergens responsible for AGS.

Although the treatment is still in the experimental phase, researchers are encouraged by the fact that the early results demonstrate that it is leading to a way to address this serious tick-borne illness.  

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