Boiled Oral Peanut Immunotherapy (The BOPI Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Boiled Oral Peanut Immunotherapy for the treatment of Peanut Allergy (The BOPI Study)
IRAS ID
158693
Contact name
Paul Turner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12614000265673
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 19 days
Research summary
Peanut allergy is the commonest cause of life-threatening food-allergic reactions in children, affecting up to 6% of school-aged children. There is currently no accepted routine clinical therapy to cure peanut allergy. Recent studies have looked at desensitising people with peanut allergy by giving them small daily doses of roasted peanut, called oral immunotherapy (OIT). Although this works for some people, its effects are not generally long lasting and are associated with a significant rate of allergic symptoms, often requiring rescue treatment with adrenaline.
Together with colleagues in Australia, we recently demonstrated that boiling results in significant loss of allergenic proteins from peanut. Boiled peanuts are therefore less likely to cause an alleric reaction in peanut-allergic children (data published in Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology). Furthermore, three children commenced desensitisation with boiled peanut, all of whom is now tolerant to roasted peanut. The incidence of adverse events has been very favourable compared to existing OIT protocols.
Exposure to boiled peanut may therefore be an alternative to existing desensitisation regimes, with potential for increased safety and decreased breakthrough allergic symptoms.
To test this hypothesis, we propose a randomised trial using boiled peanut for OIT in children with proven peanut allergy. Since the majority of peanut consumed in our diets is roasted, we will determine the change in tolerance to roasted peanut following a 12 month course of OIT, and whether this effect is maintained having stopped peanut for 4 weeks. We will also assess the safety of this approach, along with an assessment as to whether desensitisation improves the quality of life of both the child and their family.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0287
Date of REC Opinion
26 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion