Single protein ‘could be root cause of multiple types of allergy’

Researchers have identified a single protein that may be responsible for causing painful and dangerous allergic reactions to a number of substances, including medication.

A team from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Alberta have examined a receptor found in mast cells that they believe to be responsible for causing the pain, itching and rashes that many people experience when injected with certain medications.

By disabling the gene for the equivalent receptor in mice, the animals were able to avoid experiencing any of the drug allergy symptoms displayed by their genetically normal counterparts.

The team is now working to find compounds that could safely block the receptor responsible in humans. This could make it safer and easier for people to receive treatment for conditions such as prostate cancer, diabetes and HIV.

Dr Benjamin McNeil, a postdoctoral fellow with the Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said: "It's fortunate that all of the drugs turn out to trigger a single receptor – it makes that receptor an attractive drug target."

Around 62,000 people in England are hospitalised by a serious allergic reaction to a drug annually, a figure that could be reduced with the development of new solutions such as this.