That’s nuts!
In a potential breakthrough discovery for peanut allergy sufferers, Dr. Denise Daley has found a gene linked to peanut allergies.
This could lead to newer diagnostics and better treatment options. The gene is called c11orf30 or EMSY for short. It’s already known to play a role in other allergic conditions such as eczema, asthma or hay fever, but this is the first time EMSY has been connected to a food allergy.
“Food allergy is the result of both genetic and environmental factors, but there is surprisingly little data regarding the genetic basis of this condition,” says Dr. Daley, principal investigator at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation at St. Paul’s. She calls this the most important discovery of her career so far and she is already looking ahead to the next phase of research into EMSY and its connection to peanut allergies.
