Scientists from the United States who are working towards a cure for peanut allergies in children have seen “very, promising results” from their work.

By giving some of the children peanut drops each day under their tongue, they could gradually build up a tolerance to peanuts.

Eleven of the children were given daily drops containing increasing doses of peanut protein while seven children were given dummy drops.

The results showed that, after one year, those children on the peanut drops had built up their tolerance until they were consuming the equivalent of five to 10 peanuts a day.

Dr Edwin Kim, an immunologist at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina, who led the study, said: “When children are given peanut flour they get a significantly higher dose than for peanut drops – around 100 times higher dose.

“Children also have an aversion to the smell and texture of peanut flour, and side effects can include abdominal pains.

“Drops have the potential to be a safer route of administration and they are easy to give to children.

“We have seen very promising results from this trial.

“Even after one year there is a clear difference between children on the drops compared with those on placebo.”

Dr Kim’s team hope they will be able to reduce the number of drops children need to perhaps a weekly dose.

“This is a very safe and a very easy treatment,” he said.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is a cure but we are getting closer.

“If you combine what we have learned from peanut flour and these drops, I think we are knocking on the door.

“We know that we can manipulate the immune system. We are learning lots about how the allergy works.”

Main picture courtesy of EuroMagic via Flickr Creative Commons