According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, more than 12 million people in America suffer from life-threatening food allergies. But thankfully, there might be some light at the end of the Epi-Pen. Last week, at the BA Festival of Science, Amsterdam University's Dr. Ronald Van Ree announced that his team was working on a vaccine "against the molecules which trigger allergies" and predicted that this preventive and curative drug would be available within ten years.
"New genetic engineering techniques are being tested to reduce the effect of the proteins in food that cause adverse, sometimes fatal reactions. It is hoped that scientists will be able to make the molecules safe enough to use in drugs that fight food allergies via the immune system. These would be used in conjunction with compounds designed to reduce inflammation--one of the most dangerous effects of allergic reactions."