Publication highlight: Treatment of food allergy: Oral immunotherapy, biologics, and beyond
Dr. Chinthrajah and Dr. Sindher shared some of their success stories of patients who successfully completed oral immunotherapy for peanut and also discussed some of the challenges and fears that oral immunotherapy participants have prior to and during therapy. In many cases, these concerns differed between children, adults, and caregivers with the most common being concerns about adverse reactions during food challenges. By understanding patient concerns, physicians are able to take steps to address these concerns which can often lead to new research directions aimed at improving patient experiences. Differences in patient goals for undergoing oral immunotherapy screening were also discussed, which are important for designing how clinicians design and implement OIT. For instance, protecting against accidental exposure requires a lower level of protection (which is easier to achieve and maintain) than if an individual want to be able to eat freely.
By Andrew Chin
Andrew Chin is a scientific grant writer at the Sean N. Parker Center who works closely with Drs. Chinthrajah and Sindher to assist with the Center's manuscripts, grants presentations, and other aspects of scientific writing. His background in basic research allows him to bring complementary insights to the clinical research in the Center.